Web developer sneaks game onto Steam without Valve’s permission

An English web developer going by the name Ruby has successfully uploaded a game to Steam, without Valve’s permission, to illustrate a security loophole.

The game, if you can call it that, was called Watch Paint Dry. It was a spoof title, really, and has since been removed by Valve. It was uploaded after Ruby discovered that the Steamworks Developer Program had vulnerabilities that allowed a user to upload unvetted software to the online store.

Ruby has since apologised for the short-term controversy the release caused, which left people once again questioning Valve’s quality control procedures.

This is no more than a prank and was merely to test something I’ve been trying to report to Valve for the past few months – the ability to get any game you want on Steam, without Valve ever even having a look at it,” a blog post explained.

I will admit that it appearing straight away in the new releases section was an oversight on my part. I initially wanted it to have ‘Coming April 1st’ and not show up until Friday (though I wouldn’t have expected it to last that long). I will also admit I was very tempted to try and see how far along releasing it I could get, but I think it’s for the best that the app is not listed for sale.

I have been in contact with Valve who have now fixed the vulnerability.”