Valve denied tevolution on the Steam platform. Here is my open letter about it
Channel: Benjamin Arnaud
Date: 2023-01-27

Dear Steam team,

I've recently received a message notifying that my application tevolution was retired from the application process and the Steam store for the following reason: "This software does not fit in these categories, and we won't be able to distribute it on Steam". I would like to appeal this decision and give you a few reason why I think the application is a good fit for the Steam platform.

Although it's an innovative proposition, you could argue that a remote video screen like tevolution fits in the "Audio / Video production" or the "Player Tools" category. But even if it didn't, there's clear evidence that it's a desirable proposal for the Steam user base and the Steam Deck community in particular. The recent traction on a Reddit post dedicated to its presentation would attest of it (https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/zrps46/a_remote_video_screen_prototype_from_a_vlc). Many people viewed the post and upvoted it and expressed their interest about it, which is not bad considering I haven't used any kind of marketing to promote the idea.

Secondly, and that's a deeper reason, I believe that Valve has often been at the forefront of innovation with their games and sofware overall. Not settling for what was done at the time but pushing the state of the art further. I'm a senior developer at VideoLabs on the VLC project and we share the same DNA. To this date, the VLC player is vastly used around the world, not because it's open source, but because it's a valuable and innovative tool for the user. The Steam Deck is already a strong platform in terms of gaming, but it's also surprisingly efficient at video playback, and that's beforehand any kind of specific optimisation of the build. 

That is why for the sake of the Steam Deck community and Valve innovative DNA I respectfully ask you to reconsider this decision and effectively enable innovative applications like tevolution to exist on the Steam platform.

Regards,
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Benjamin Arnaud