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Mellow_Online1

@mellowonline1

Independent video games journalist | Owner and founder of Sentinels of the Store | Moderator at Dead MP Games Resurrection

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12.08.2024
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Latest posts by Mellow_Online1 @mellowonline1

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SteamWatch - Steam Enforces "Hidden Cats" Trademark - Indie Developers Forced to Rename or Risk Removal “ Hidden Cats ” is a micro-genre within the broader hidden object (HOG) space: illustrated puzzle games where players search detailed scenes to find concealed cats. Over the past several years, multip...

New Sentinels of the Store article!

Steam is enforcing a trademark over "Hidden Cats". Developers are scrambling to rename their titles.

Valve has poorly handled the claim, which is in itself anti-competitive, anti-developer and anti-consumer.

Full article here: steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

27.02.2026 23:41 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Let's Be Clear As Sentinels grows, visibility increases. With visibility comes scrutiny - and sometimes misrepresentation. So it’s important we clarify structure. Sentinels of the Store is not built around any singl...

Our @steamsentinels.bsky.social has grown.

With growth comes visibility. With visibility comes scrutiny.

We’ve published a clarification on representation, governance, and where we draw the line between evidence-based accountability and ideology.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

22.02.2026 03:31 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Let's Be Clear As Sentinels grows, visibility increases. With visibility comes scrutiny - and sometimes misrepresentation. So it’s important we clarify structure. Sentinels of the Store is not built around any singl...

In 2026, @steamsentinels.bsky.socialhas grown.

With growth comes visibility. With visibility comes scrutiny.

We’ve published a clarification on structure, representation, and where we draw the line - particularly around ideology vs evidence.
steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

22.02.2026 03:23 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

That’s a valid concern.

Criticism of writing, pacing, character development, etc. isn’t transphobia - it’s critique.
The problem is when criticism shifts from “this character arc feels rushed” to targeting someone’s identity.

16.02.2026 22:58 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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SteamWatch - Developers Accuse Steam of Failing to Tackle Bigotry Steam is under mainstream scrutiny this week following a detailed report in The Guardian titled “‘ This shouldn’t be normal’: developers speak out about bigotry on Steam, the world’s biggest PC gaming...

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social article!

@steampowered.com has landed on the front page of @theguardian.com.

Developers are speaking out about bigoted reviews, curator campaigns, and what they describe as inconsistent moderation on the platform.

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

16.02.2026 20:58 👍 2 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
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SteamWatch - Atomic Fabrik is on the Epic Games Store First of all, apologies for my absence the last few weeks - work was hectic and I was briefly out of action with chicken pox. Back to business as usual now. Almost two years ago, Atomic Fabrik was rem...

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social article!

Atomic Fabrik was removed from @steampowered.com in 2024 after documented abuse of review and pricing systems.

They remain on Epic.

Recent discussion brought it back into focus, so I’ve written up a full breakdown.

Read here:

13.02.2026 19:58 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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The @steamsentinels.bsky.social community are awesome.

Even in my absence, we've still seen people joining our group in large quantities.

Let's make @steampowered.com better

13.02.2026 16:46 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

Just watched a YouTuber play a demo.

They finished it, then said: “I’d get the full game on sale.”

The game isn’t out yet. There’s no price. No RRP.

How do you recommend “on sale” when you don’t even know the baseline value?

11.02.2026 00:34 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Speedrunning Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut YouTube video by Mellow Online1

Speedrunning Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Durector's Cut. @revolutionsoftware.bsky.social

Take 3...Ready...steady...go!

www.youtube.com/live/zT734do...

07.02.2026 18:03 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Sorry kiddos

07.02.2026 02:34 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars - The Director's Cut Speedrun #2 YouTube video by Mellow Online1

Live now - speedrunning Broken Sword!

www.youtube.com/live/KdVq_d7...

05.02.2026 15:32 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0

And wow - wake up, look in the mirror, and I’ve got red spots and rashes on my face.

Shower…turns out they’re on my chest, arms, legs and feet too.

Fam, I might have finally caught chickenpox!

Off to the pharmacy I go.

29.01.2026 12:46 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Sorry for the silence on my part.

Been pretty busy IRL, and I'm also battling the worst headache and nausea I've had probably in my life, which has been a major hurdle for me in making anything @steamsentinels.bsky.social related.

I'll get back to it as soon as I'm back in shape.

29.01.2026 10:53 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
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It took 2 years, but I finally got redemption.

I was permanently banned from the 'Skibidi Backrooms' forums for “fake information” after flagging suspicious reviews.

Now the game’s been caught up in the Obzor review-manipulation bans.

Funny how that works.

25.01.2026 14:56 👍 10 🔁 5 💬 0 📌 0
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Welcome Summit Reviews to the Sentinel Network! We’re pleased to officially welcome Summit Reviews into the Sentinel Network. Summit Reviews are an independent, international collective of experienced writers known for their professional, in-depth ...

Welcome @summitreviews.biz to the @steamsentinels.bsky.social Network!

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

22.01.2026 19:28 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Steam Removes Nearly 100 Games Linked to Obzor Review Manipulation - Plus an Important Clarification Yesterday, a large batch of nearly 100 games were removed from Steam. This followed an exchange of information between ourselves and Steam regarding Obzor and review manipulation activity on the platf...

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social article!

@steampowered.com Removes Nearly 100 Games Linked to Obzor Review Manipulation - Plus an Important Clarification

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

21.01.2026 22:35 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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9 Years of Sentinels - A Ramble From Me Today, Sentinels of the Store turns 9 years old. Nine years ago, on January 17th 2017, I made the decision to create this group. The world was very different back then. Steam was very different. I was...

Today, @steamsentinels.bsky.social turns 9 years old!

Here's a little ramble from me.

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

17.01.2026 18:33 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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Steam Remove Thousands of Obzor Reviews - Our Progress Begins Now Hi all, First of all, a quick apology in advance: there are going to be a few announcements going up this week. The first landed yesterday with our latest podcast episode , where we discussed a range ...

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social article!

@steampowered.com Remove Thousands of Obzor Reviews - Our Progress Begins Now

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

16.01.2026 15:28 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
When Trust Breaks - Steam Sentinels Podcast - Ep.12
When Trust Breaks - Steam Sentinels Podcast - Ep.12 YouTube video by Mellow Online1

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social Podcast

This week we talk about review manipulation on @steampowered.com, a community comment comeback on cautious buying and more!

Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr6I...

#Steam #PCGaming #GameDev #SteamReviews #GamingNews #SentinelsOfTheStore

15.01.2026 21:44 👍 8 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
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The @steampowered.com community backs @steamsentinels.bsky.social's plan to tackle review manipulation.

06.01.2026 20:24 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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2026 – The War Against Review Manipulation 2026 marks our ninth year as a community. A year where we hope to continue growing, strengthening our work, and advancing consumer awareness on Steam. But it is also the year we are committing to tack...

We’ve just published a new @steamsentinels.bsky.social article outlining our 2026 focus: sustained action against review manipulation on @steampowered.com.

Read here: steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

05.01.2026 21:25 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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This was the moment @philipdefranco.bsky.social reacted to Trump suggesting the US government would take control of Venezuela.

That face says a lot.

03.01.2026 17:05 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
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2025: A Year Where Trust Was Tested Repeatedly Looking back on 2025, what stands out isn’t a single defining moment - it’s how often the same questions had to be answered again and again. This was a year spent circling trust: how it’s earned, how ...

2025: A Year Where Trust Was Tested Repeatedly

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

28.12.2025 16:11 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Moral Panic - Steam Sentinels Podcast (Ep.11)
Moral Panic - Steam Sentinels Podcast (Ep.11) YouTube video by Mellow Online1

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social Podcast episode “Moral Panic” is live.

We discuss fake censorship narratives, AI, @steampowered.com policy confusion & bad-faith outrage

Where does genuine concern end - and moral panic begin?

Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaJU...

#Steam #PCGaming #GameDev

27.12.2025 19:30 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0

To those which celebrate, a very merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoy the holidays! 🎄

25.12.2025 09:35 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Horses, AI, Anime Girls, and How They All Got Delisted From Steam We’ve had a particularly interesting couple weeks of delisted releases on Steam - especially given that a significant number of them have been high-profile releases. While it's not uncommon to see gam...

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social article!

'HORSES' and taboo horror, 'Postal'-adjacent AI backlash, and a gacha game quietly vanishing after wishlist incentives - Caff digs into three very different delistings.

steamcommunity.com/groups/Senti...

#Steam #IndieDev #AIArt #GameIndustry

22.12.2025 18:09 👍 4 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0

I'm attending a webinar hosted by @aldenkroll.bsky.social and Ria Hu discussing the upcoming @steampowered.com NextFest.

What questions do you want me to put forward?

16.12.2025 18:21 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Hold Your Horses | Steam Sentinels Podcast (Ep.10)
Hold Your Horses | Steam Sentinels Podcast (Ep.10) YouTube video by Mellow Online1

Hold Your Horses - @steamsentinels.bsky.social Podcast (Ep.10)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP9v...

This week, we dive into Horses being banned across storefronts, Postal: Bullet Paradise & the AI backlash & Tim Sweeney vs Steam's AI disclosure labels.

Where does moderation end and censorship begin?

16.12.2025 02:15 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Spam, Ram & Scams | Steam Sentinels Podcast (Ep.9)
Spam, Ram & Scams | Steam Sentinels Podcast (Ep.9) YouTube video by Mellow Online1

New @steamsentinels.bsky.social Podcast Episode!

While I was away, @sirviolentdeath.bsky.social, Ratchet, and Caff took over hosting duties and delivered a banger of an episode!

Steam Game Spam, Bundle Sites and RAM shortages, all this and more in the latest episode!

youtu.be/dCH3v7sbFVI

05.12.2025 01:22 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Tiltify - Made for Fundraisers We give you the tools to engage with your donors and raise more for your charity

WE REACHED OUR GOAL FOR @safeinourworld.org ON @tiltify.com!

Thanks to all the streamers, viewers and donors for making this possible!

Donations are still open for at least another 24 hours for those who wish to contribute!

tiltify.com/@mellow_onli...

05.12.2025 00:51 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0