Valve isn't interested in advertising on Steam, rep assures

Steam Stealth Sale

Both Sony and Microsoft have implemented display advertisements on their respective consoles, so what's stopping Valve doing the same on Steam? It's a good question, and it's one Gamespot posited to Valve's Erik Johnson, who mercifully replied that it simply wouldn't work on their platform.

"We don't see a case for that ever getting user value," Johnson said, when asked whether Doritos, for example, could find value advertising on the platform. "So we wouldn't do it. I don't think that those ever work, either. To take it a step further, I don't think anybody buys Doritos as a result of that."

"We tend to focus on long-term relationships." He continued. "It would be a bad business decision, let alone just dumb."

If there ever a good reason not to do something, that thing being "dumb" is right up there. Instead, Valve is focusing on a number of new products and services rolling out soon, including the Steam Link, which we previewed earlier today. It's also planning longterm revisions for its Steam Controller.

Shaun Prescott

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.