Last week, it was noted that Valve is working on a new filter for user reviews on Steam that hides reviews lacking meaningful content, such as jokes and ASCII art. Now, the company has confirmed the rumors.
Yesterday, August 14, Valve announced the start of open testing for the new filter. It prioritizes reviews in the sorting process that "best help players make purchasing decisions." The filter is enabled by default, but users can turn it off manually.
Valve emphasized that it does not intend to remove humorous or other less useful reviews, as there is nothing wrong with them.
The usefulness of reviews is determined by Valve using machine learning algorithms. Additionally, moderators examine complaints submitted by Steam users regarding various reviews.
Valve added that throughout the existence of Steam, users of the store have written over 140 million reviews.