---
title: "Steam update just DESTROYED indie devs?!"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/steam-update-just-destroyed-indie-devs--hkibaelf4
source_url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZfIxeK463o
type: video:youtube
source: "Code Monkey"
published: 2026-06-07T15:12:51.558Z
updated: 2026-06-07T15:13:11.402Z
tags: ["game-development", "steam"]
reading_time: 7
upvotes: 6
comments: 1
language: en
---

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# Steam update just DESTROYED indie devs?!

**[Code Monkey](https://daily.dev/sources/codemonkeyunity)** · 7 min read · 6 upvotes · 1 comments

## Summary

Steam has updated its store homepage, changing how the 'Popular Upcoming' section works. Previously, indie developers could gain significant visibility by reaching 7,000 wishlists before launch. The updated algorithm now heavily weights games with far more wishlists — the smallest games currently appearing in that section have around 80,000 wishlists — effectively pricing out most indie developers. The change may benefit AAA and AA studios while hurting mid-tier indie developers who relied on that visibility boost. Steam has introduced a personalized calendar feature as a partial replacement, offering targeted recommendations based on player history, and updated the Discovery Queue. Whether these alternatives will compensate for the lost mass-market exposure remains to be seen. Standard indie marketing practices (demos, Next Fest, social media, newsletters) remain unchanged; only the final visibility boost at the end of the marketing cycle has shifted.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZfIxeK463o>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@haohmaru444** · 1 upvotes

> Steam is entry point to sell games, not advertising avenue, you'll still get more visibility there than any other platform

---

Tags: [#game-development](https://daily.dev/tags/game-development), [#steam](https://daily.dev/tags/steam)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/steam-update-just-destroyed-indie-devs--hkibaelf4)
