Asset flips - the unstoppable Mongol horde of gaming.

The past few years we have sadly seen a significant increase in the number of asset flip games being released on Steam. But.. what exactly is an Asset Flip Game?

An "asset flip" game is a type of video game that is created by reusing pre-existing assets (such as 3D models, textures, and sounds) that have been purchased or obtained from online marketplaces, such as the unity store rather than creating original content.

The rise of asset flip games on Steam has been met with criticism from players and industry professionals alike, who argue that these games are of lower quality and offer less value to consumers than original games. Asset flip games are often criticized for being poorly made, lacking originality, and not providing a satisfying gaming experience.

One of the main reasons for the rise of asset flip games on Steam is the incredible ease of access to game development tools and assets. (Which is a good thing, but has sadly also come with it’s downsides) With the rise of game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine, it has become easier than ever for individuals and small teams to create and publish their own games. At the same time, online marketplaces like the Unity Asset Store and the Unreal Engine Marketplace have made it easy for game developers to purchase pre-made assets that can be used to create games quickly and cheaply.

Another factor is the sheer quantity of games released on steam. Steam is a platform where anyone can release their game, all you need is a few minutes time and a hundred bucks to spend which leads to a high number of games being uploaded everyday, which makes it hard for Valve to review and filter every single game. Altough that is not to say that their lack of reviewing isn’t their fault.

However, it's not all bad Assets definitely have their place in gaming, it allows a team which lacks artists to still program a unique and creative game, however personally I wouldn’t call those asset flips, as the assets are used to create something, and are not the main focus of the game.

To summon it up, the rise of asset flip games on Steam is a complicated issue that highlights some of the challenges facing the video game industry today. On one hand, the huge amount of assets make it easier for small teams and individuals to create and publish their own games. On the other hand, they often provide a lower-quality and less satisfying gaming experience, which can be damaging to both players and the industry as a whole. As a consumer, it's important to be aware of the distinction between original content and asset flipped games, to be able to make a well-informed decision.

HOWEVER, making this well-informed decision isn’t as simple as it sounds sadly, as these developers understand that most consumers don’t just want to throw money at asset flip games, so they have started flooding their games with fake reviews. Many of these games have been found to have a large number of positive reviews that have been artificially generated, either by the game developers themselves or by third-party review farms.

And as if that wasn’t enough of a consumer fraud, many of these games also have quite the shiny trailers to back them up often (Although to be fair, companies like Ubisoft and the like are definitely also not above that *cough* E3 Division *cough* E3 Rainbow six siege etc etc)

Now very often companies and also people are very willing to point at  the consumer for this “Do your research, watch gameplay videos, don’t believe all the reviews” which well, makes kind of sense, they aren’t wrong, we as consumers do need to pay attention to what we buy, but it should be more than clear that Valve should also do more against these asset flip games and reviews.

 Now I understand that it might seem slightly unfair to only focus on Valve throughout the article here, but the simple truth is that Valve’s steam is the biggest game store on pc that there has ever been and most likely ever will be, and consequently also the main hub for these asset flips.

And for as much hope and trust I have in Valve, I must say that when its so clear that so many new-releases on the steam store are asset flips that it does kind of make me worry for the future of steam, will Valve be able to counter these asset flippers? Are they here to stay? That’s only a question that time will be able to answer.