Twitter's Shocking Move: Declares Steam Link as Malicious!

Twitter's recent labeling of a Steam link to the upcoming RPG Sea of Stars' profile as "Unsafe" has raised concerns among game developers regarding the social media platform. Despite the controversies surrounding Twitter since Elon Musk acquired it, it remains a crucial tool for game developers to promote their games. The potential harm that can be caused to a game when Twitter warns users about an unsafe link is uncertain, given the platform's questionable decision-making as of late. It is worth noting that the "Unsafe" warning has been a feature on Twitter long before Musk's acquisition and is used to caution users about links that could potentially lead to harm in various ways. These include websites that attempt to steal personal information, corrupt devices, contain spam or misleading content, feature violent or dangerous material, or violate Twitter's rules. There is no evidence to suggest that the usage of the "Unsafe" label has changed recently.

Sea of Stars, an upcoming turn-based RPG developed by Sabotage Studio, features stunning pixel art, much like their previous game The Messenger. However, Sabotage was taken aback when they discovered that Twitter has labeled links to the game's profile on Steam as "Unsafe." When users click on these links, they are redirected to a warning page on Twitter, where they must click a button acknowledging that they are disregarding the warning in order to proceed to the Steam page. Sabotage has not received any explanation for this labeling.

Philip Barclay, the executive producer at Sabotage, expressed his hope that this issue will be resolved promptly. He emphasized that this is a crucial time for Sea of Stars, as the game is set to launch in August and is currently being showcased as part of Steam's Next Fest, accompanied by a free demo. Despite numerous attempts to contact Twitter, Sabotage has received no response, except for an unhelpful automated reply.

Adding to the confusion and frustration, links to Sea of Stars on Steam have been functioning without issues on Twitter for a considerable period. The recent addition of the "Unsafe" labeling raises further concerns. Despite this setback, Sabotage intends to persist in using these links and similar ones for the launch of Sea of Stars. However, it remains uncertain whether there is a way to bypass this labeling system.

While one might assume that this labeling is a mere oversight, possibly triggered by an automated Twitter process interpreting the sudden surge in traffic to the link as spam, it is difficult to confirm due to the unpredictable nature of the current social media platform. Twitter has a reputation for implementing sudden and questionable changes based on the whims of owner Elon Musk. The reasons behind Sea of Stars being affected by this or whether it signifies a new policy that could potentially impact other games on Steam remain unclear. Nevertheless, such uncertainties are an inherent part of the Twitter landscape at present.

Sea of Stars releases August 29 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: GameSpot