Valve removed Junk Store From Steam Due To Features Steam Doesn't Support

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Update 10/16/24 - I was told directly by the Junk Store team that regardless of this, the free, open-source plugin is staying. Even if the Steam application went live, the free plugin would have been kept alive and maintained. Junk Store will not be returning to Steam.

Yesterday, we reported on Junk Store that the Decky Loader plugin for playing Epic and GOG games seamlessly in Game Mode had their Steam Store page removed. The team was working to create a second program that would be sold away from the Decky Plugin framework, allowing them to do a lot more with new features. Sadly, the page was taken down, and now we know why.

In a Reddit post on the r/JunkStore page, the team confirmed that Valve was the one who took down the page, and it was due to the inclusion of features Steam doesn't support. The Steam Support member, Walter, clarifies that Steam doesn't support applications that modify Steam client code, behavior, or interface. This is something that Junk Store does as a plugin, and while the team did respond saying they could address the issues, support stood strong on their decision, noting that the overall goal and nature of the app doesn't change:

Understandably, the team is taking a break from this and not sure what the next step would be. With the comments and reception of the team trying to become a paid app on Steam, it makes sense why they would be stepping away to rest. As for the future of the application, it is up in the air, but I think the team will really need to rethink their strategy if they want to be successful. Regardless, it doesn't look like it will be making a return.

A string of posts they made on Reddit and their site doesn't come off in the best light and makes it sound like they are after making money. While it makes sense to some degree, this is a tough road to be on due to how they started and what they are trying to do now. I think they need to make it clear that the open-source plugin will be maintained no matter what and really show off what makes Junk Store unique since, looking at it now, it does look very similar to what other free tools like Heroic and Lutris already do.

This also follows a drama-filled week with NonSteamLaunchers being removed from the Decky Plugin store. Hopefully, we will have more answers on the next moves for both of these applications soon.

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