The Article
Blue Archive PC Release Appears To Break Steam Rules
Following a successful four years as a mobile exclusive, Blue Archive released on Steam earlier this month. On face value it seems to have been a successful launch, topping 20,000 concurrent players and 10,000 Steam reviews. However, according to a now-removed Nexon forum post, the developer ran an in-game event incentivizing players to leave reviews on Valve's platform, something which is clearly disallowed in the Steamworks documentation.
The in-game event description explained that once Blue Archive's Steam review count had reached 10,000, all players would receive five Gift Choice Boxes and five Beautiful Bouquets in-game. The event was due to run from July 4-11, but there is no longer any mention of it when opening Blue Archive. Interestingly, the Steam reviews have exceeded Nexon's goal of 10,000.
As spotted by one user on the Steam forums for the game, the Steamworks documentation clearly states that it is not permitted "to abuse or artificially manipulate the review system" nor should anyone "solicit reviews in exchange for any games, DLC, money, or other rewards" with the only exceptions being sending copies of the game to press or creators for previews or reviews. Additionally, developers should not "ask customers to review" games from within the game itself. GameSpot has reached out to Nexon for comment.
Blue Archive is a tactical RPG with gacha elements, meaning that it utilizes a random draw system which uses the in-game currency of Pyroxene to determine which students, or characters, players receive. Through limited recruitment events, the "drop" rate of specific students can be raised, incentivizing players to use more Pyroxene to try to get the anime girl they're seeking.
Blue Archive isn't the only anime girl game trending on Steam right now. Following its release, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is also seeing huge figures, topping 50,000 concurrent players at its peak so far.
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