Valve Rewards Steam Developers with Annual Chocolates, Sparking Jealousy Among Peers

There’s an intriguing secret swirling around a select group of successful developers on Steam: Valve has a tradition of sending them chocolates at the end of the year. The buzz about Valve’s so-called “chocolate tier” has gained traction recently, and it appears there’s some truth to these rumors.

One of the most comprehensive insights into this chocolate tier comes from games marketing consultant Chris Zukowski, who shared a video detailing what he’s learned from conversations with developers over the years. Zukowski explains that Valve sends a premium box of chocolates to developers who hit an annual revenue milestone of approximately $800,000.

According to his findings, developers reaching that $800,000 mark receive a chocolate box valued at around $150. For those few developers who surpass $2 million in annual revenue, the reward is a $250 chocolate box, specifically from Fran’s. While $250 might seem modest compared to their earnings, it serves as a thoughtful gesture from Valve to congratulate and celebrate the achievements of Steam’s top developers.

I first heard about the chocolate tier during an interview with the Peak developers, where it was humorously noted that $8 is actually five bucks. Peak is a collaboration between Landfall Games and Aggro Crab, the latter of which shares office space in Seattle with Mega Crit, the studio behind the hit roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire, which sometimes leads to some friendly rivalry.

In that interview, Aggro Crab co-founder Nick Kaman joked about how his team received chocolates every year while they did not. He was convinced that their quirky 2024 Soulslike, Another Crab’s Treasure, had met the chocolate tier criteria, but no chocolates arrived. After reaching out to Valve about the missing treats, he received an apology.

This past year, with over 11 million copies of Peak sold, Aggro Crab finally got their chocolates. Producer Joanna Lin mentioned that the milk chocolate salted caramel pieces are particularly delicious.

Peak made waves in 2025, but neither studio anticipated such a massive success: “We were ready to hit the launch button and go into vacation mode.”