Steam Spy overturns data removal, refuses future dev takedown requests

The founder of online data tracking tool Steam Spy has vowed that he will no longer remove developers’ game data from the website following the restoration of all omitted ownership information.

According to Sergey Galyonkin, the move was prompted by a request from Dying Light studio Techland, to which he tweeted the question: “Should I just stop honoring these requests?”

Galyonkin has previously removed information for all of the games by Kerbal Space Program creator Squad and Stellaris developer-publisher Paradox Interactive from Steam Spy, openly revealing the takedown requests from studios.

At the time of Paradox’s removal, he insisted his belief that “‘Steam Spy should be seen as a useful tool by developers, not as a threat”.

Galyonkin followed up his decision to restore the absent data and decline future takedowns with the same argument, explaining that the tool shouldn’t be viewed as accurately reporting sales data because of its reliance on measuring owners, rather than direct purchases.

“I believe in building a tool that is useful for the game developers,” he tweeted in a lengthy thread. “In the last 1.5 years there were no incidents where developer was hurt because of his data being exposed on Steam Spy.

“Steam Spy estimates data like polls estimate the number of people that would vote for a candidate. It’s not legally binding to anyone.

“The fact that movie industry hasn’t collapsed despite releasing box office numbers gives me faith that games industry will survive as well.”

Techland requested the removal of their games as well.

Should I just stop honoring these requests?

— Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) August 25, 2016