Valve renewed a rule whereby developers discount games to celebrate their release. Now the duration of the promotion can vary from 7 to 14 days. Valve made the change in response to frequent requests from studios and publishers.
The Game Release Discount is an optional, limited-time promotion that starts when the game is released on Steam. You can configure this on the application page in Steamworks, just below the desired release date.
Valve has also reconsidered its approach to releasing games that are scheduled shortly before or after one of the four seasonal sales. If a game comes out close to a sale, you can set a maximum discount duration of 14 days.
The company has emphasized that it will not be able to extend this period, so depending on the release date of the game, the discount on it may end before the seasonal sale.
Typically, you cannot apply a discount until 30 days after the game’s release or the end of the launch discount period.
If your game was released at least 30 days before the Seasonal Sale and it did NOT have a release discount, you can join the Seasonal Sale and get a discount.
If your game was released 30 days before the Seasonal Sale and HAD a launch discount, it will be subject to a discount break that will prevent you from participating in the Seasonal Sale. If you end this 30-day break during a sale, you will be able to join it after it starts if you set a discount for the remaining period. Don’t delay the release of a game because of a seasonal sale – there will always be other reasons to set a discount in the future.
In early January 2024, Valve updated Steam’s AI policy.
