Valve has transitioned Steam’s Daily Deal system to a self-scheduling beta, replacing manual negotiations with an automated invitation process for developers based on revenue momentum and player interest.
To qualify for a Daily Deal, developers must typically have generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue in recent months.
Eligible developers receive a 30-day window to schedule a 24-hour front-page feature within a six-month period, provided they offer a record-low discount lasting seven to 14 days.
While the new system automates scheduling, Valve retains manual oversight for specific milestones such as 1.0 version releases or DLC launches.
The broader gaming market shows live-service dominance, evidenced by Fortnite’s monthly active users recently surpassing the combined totals of several major franchises on PlayStation and Xbox.
The VR sector is experiencing a shift in revenue performance, with the Meta Quest store frequently outperforming SteamVR for independent game releases.
That's the gist.
Dive into the full report for the data, charts, and sources behind these takeaways.
Read the full report