Valve is set to overhaul Steam's homepage Discounts and Events section, moving from a curated model to an algorithm-driven approach. This change aims to provide a more personalized experience for each customer, potentially surfacing a greater variety of games.
Currently, the Discounts and Events section is manually managed by Valve to highlight site-wide relevant sales. However, in a recent blog post, Valve explained that recent experiments with personalized recommendations in this section have shown significant increases in store page visits, wishlists, and cart additions. This suggests the algorithm-driven approach could lead to more games being discovered and purchased.
The company's goal is to "show the right game to the right customer." Valve believes that a dynamically personalized approach is better suited to the diverse tastes of its user base and the sheer volume of deals available at any given time, moving away from the constraints of a manually managed calendar. While the exact implementation date remains unconfirmed, Valve stated that they are still refining the details and are confident the new system will ultimately benefit both customers and developers.
"We don't believe this will be perfect right away, but we are confident the new system will result in better outcomes for customers and developers," Valve communicated, expressing eagerness to share further details once finalized. The hope is that this shift will not negatively impact smaller developers who might rely on manual curation for visibility.