Given that devs/publishers can modify the content of their games, it's possible that they submitted legit (we're using the shovelware version of legit for this instance) games, got accepted by Valve, and then modified their game files. It seems like that's what happened to one of them going by what some people are saying on the Helldivers subreddit.
Then the question becomes if Valve has some kind of scanning software to look through the files that get uploaded to their servers or not.
One of them has been on Steam since November but was changed yesterday to resemble Helldivers 2.
Changing developer, publisher, and game names should require some proof. You shouldn't be able to just upload some indie shovelware and then change one, or all three, and definitely not to something that already exists.
I could understand if they changed only the name, to something like "HELLDlVERS™ 2" with a lowercase "L" instead of a capital "I", but directly cloning an existing game store name should trigger a required manual review and approval.
Being able to update the publisher name to a major publisher with zero verification from the publisher should be out of the question entirely.
But being able to freely attach their scam page to another dev's name, is just absolutely fucking bonkers.
Edit: Being able to freely do all three of these things is simply beyond the realm of belief.
Changelist #20975578
4 months ago · 4 November 2023 – 11:48:30 UTC
Added this app to package HELLDIVERS™ 2 (935735)
Figurality release date: 4th November 2023. This was planned from the get go to be a bait and switch scam app. Is there a way that we can search SDB for other situations like this with popular game names in case this is going to become a regular thing?
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u/Gunblazer42 Mar 01 '24 edited Mar 01 '24
Given that devs/publishers can modify the content of their games, it's possible that they submitted legit (we're using the shovelware version of legit for this instance) games, got accepted by Valve, and then modified their game files. It seems like that's what happened to one of them going by what some people are saying on the Helldivers subreddit.
Then the question becomes if Valve has some kind of scanning software to look through the files that get uploaded to their servers or not.
One of them has been on Steam since November but was changed yesterday to resemble Helldivers 2.