Consumer Advocacy group focusing on the independent development scene on @Steam Account managed by @MellowOnline1
Joined February 2021
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Welcome to the official Sentinels of the Store Twitter account!
Check out our Steam group for all of our posts and join our community on Discord!
It's time for real change!
#SentinelsoftheStore
Steam group: steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Discord server: discord.gg/Sb3HfrH
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
You voted - @warchild won with 42.4%! ❤️
The @SteamSentinels charity drive returns November 22 - December 6 to support children affected by war, with livestreams, donation rewards and @Steam game giveaways.
Want to stream with us? Get in touch!
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
We're working on how best to address concerns that community members and developers have regarding AI use on Steam - specifically, AI copycats of popular upcoming indie games.
Please let us know your thoughts and feelings!
I speak with @Steam community members and developers most days. Those conversations help shape where @SteamSentinels puts its efforts - and recently, concerns about AI-generated copycats have been coming through loud and clear, particularly around Next Fest.
AI can help people realise their own ideas. But using it to rush out imitations of upcoming indie games, complete with similar titles and branding, to capitalise on another developer’s marketing is a very different proposition.
Developers have also reported receiving emails demanding payment to prevent an alleged AI-made copy of their game from being released. Whether those threats are credible or simply bluffs, they add to an already difficult environment for people trying to share their work.
We’re discussing how Sentinels can help make documented copycat cases easier to identify, helping players find the original games, and giving affected developers’ work more visibility.
We want that effort to be useful, fair and backed by evidence. Shared genres or mechanics alone aren’t proof of wrongdoing.
If you’re a player or developer, what would help you most?
We’d welcome your concerns, experiences and suggestions as we work out where we can make the biggest difference.
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
The @SteamSentinels charity drive returns November 22 - December 6! 🎮❤️
We have raised $2,000 over our previous campaigns. This year, we have 97 @Steam keys ready for rewards and giveaways!
Help choose the charity we’ll support - voting closes October 28 at 23:59 UTC.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
What would you most like to see @SteamSentinels focus on?
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
I've been quiet for a short while - super busy right now.
In the meantime, I helped Command B with his latest video talking about Steammaxxers, specifically a user called @xx_moneylead who's trying to destroy @Steam.
It's a cool video; check it out: youtube.com/watch?v=n_-QrlHI…
Quick update: today’s planned Sentinels article has been delayed after @MellowOnline1 received a temporary 16-hour Steam Community ban over a screenshot uploaded more than a decade ago.
The article will now be published tomorrow or Saturday. Apologies for the delay!
The Romine brothers are still haunting me to this day.
A screenshot from Digital Homicide’s 'Deadly Profits' that I uploaded almost 10 years ago was suddenly banned from @Steam today.
I also received a 16-hour ban from uploading user-generated content - which means the new @SteamSentinels article definitely won’t be going up until tomorrow or Saturday.
In fairness, the screenshot showed a pair of asset-flipped tits - and nobody should be subjected to those.
Strange timing, though: this happened the day after I tweeted about the 10th anniversary of Digital Homicide’s removal from Steam…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
Today marks ten years since @valvesoftware ended its business relationship with the infamous indie developer Digital Homicide Studios and removed its games from @Steam.
Digital Homicide still lives in Steam infamy. For many within the Steam community, the studio remains a measuring stick for just how low developers can stoop when faced with criticism.
Its legal actions against critics and members of the Steam community were ludicrous attempts to intimidate people into silence. Even a decade later, the sheer scale of that campaign remains difficult to match.
Digital Homicide’s chapter may have ended, but misconduct and corruption on Steam persist. It is precisely why @SteamSentinels takes such a strong stance against abusive behaviour - and why developers must never again be allowed to act unchecked for so long.
Nevertheless, I sincerely hope the brothers behind Digital Homicide have since moved on to happier and more constructive ventures.
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
UPDATE: @Lootbound_'s Paid Positive Reviews
@ArtDock1 has now responded to our investigation. However, their response still leaves major questions unanswered.
Our full follow-up: steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
Popular indie roguelite @Lootbound_ has been caught offering to fund players' @Steam purchases in exchange for positive reviews - including efforts to ensure those reviews counted towards its overall review score.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
We did it! The EUIPO has formally refused @nukearts' “HIDDEN CATS” European trademark application following a challenge filed by an anonymous member of our community - read the full story here:
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
@SteamSentinels
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
Malware has been discovered inside a custom map uploaded to the @Steam Workshop.
When content is downloaded through Steam, players understandably assume it’s safe - but what checks does @valvesoftware actually perform?
Our latest article asks whether Valve is doing enough:
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
Back to Business: Let's Keep the Mission Going
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
The EUIPO have responded to the third-party observation a member of @SteamSentinels filed in response to the "Hidden Cats" trademark.
The examiner stated that the observation that was filed has raised "serious doubts" about whether the trademark can be registered.
Following a re-examination of the application, the EUIPO's examiner concluded that "Hidden Cats" should be refused registration on the basis that:
• It lacks distinctive character.
• It is descriptive of the goods and services being applied for.
In plain English, the examiner's position is currently that consumers would understand "Hidden Cats" simply as describing games where players search for hidden cats, rather than as a brand identifying a single company.
The EUIPO specifically notes that a player encountering the term would immediately understand what type of game it is, and would view it as information about the game's nature or purpose rather than an indicator of commercial origin.
This is not a final decision. @nukearts now has two months to respond to the examiner's findings. After that, the EUIPO will decide whether the trademark should proceed or be refused.
Regardless of the eventual outcome, this is the first time an official authority reviewing the trademark has formally stated that there are serious concerns regarding its registrability.
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
New @SteamSentinels article!
@SirViolentDeath dives headfirst into Steam's store tags, discussing how they work, the benefits and issues with the system, and how Steam could go about fixing them.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
A Quick Personal Update
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
Update to the "Hidden Cats" trademark case:
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
NEW @SteamSentinels ARTICLE!
Hard Shark Games were exposed last year for stolen content and review manipulation.
Some games were removed.
The developer wasn’t.
And now they’re continuing to abuse Steam's Early Access system.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
NEW @SteamSentinels ARTICLE
@nukearts have responded to the EU trademark challenge over “Hidden Cats.”
It’s now a live dispute: Is “Hidden Cats” a brand - or just a description of the genre?
We break down the latest developments.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…
Sentinels of the Store retweeted
NEW ARTICLE ON @SteamSentinels!
The “Hidden Cats” trademark by @nukearts has now been formally challenged in the EU.
A third-party observation has been received and logged by the EUIPO, marking the first official pushback.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Se…