"We don't think Steam should be pay to win": Valve explains how "games we would've never predicted" pop off so hard

gamesradar.com:

In a new talk discussing how Steam puts games in front of players, Erik Peterson of Valve's business team argues that storefront visibility shouldn't "be pay to win," and offers a look under the hood at how games get promoted on the biggest store in PC gaming. The talk is aimed at developers and publishers, but there are some interesting player-facing nuggets, too, especially if you're wondering why Steam keeps recommending you a certain type of game.

"Our goal with Steam is to match games with the players who will love them," Peterson begins. "It's really important to us that players trust that, when they see a game when they come to the Steam store, it's relevant and interesting to them." 

Peterson reaffirms that Valve doesn't sell placements on its store. "We don't think Steam should be pay to win," he reiterates, pushing to "level the playing field" for games by not selling ads to the highest bidder. 

Peterson also leans into the out-of-nowhere hits that emerge on PC far more regularly than other platforms: "Every week, Steam automatically picks up on games that we haven't even heard of, or games that we would've never predicted would be popular. Hit games are emerging organically, powered by what players are excited about. We think when we're surprised by a game, that's good. It's an indication that Steam is working properly." 

The new and trending tab shown in the video features Pseudoregalia, an out-of-nowhere Metroidvania hit that earned its mostly solo dev a life-changing amount of money. Dave the Diver, one of the biggest success stories of the summer, is also prominently featured in the video – it even received a "full Steam takeover" banner on the front page of the store at one point. "The bar for something