The Steam Summer Sale 2017 started on June 22 and came to an end on July 5. This event was not without controversy as thousands of Steam users were hit with the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) banhammer.
The ban took place on July 6 right after the sale ended. It is considered as the biggest ban of Steam users at 40,000. The last ban that took place was in October last year when 15,000 users were banned. VAC is an anti-cheat software that was developed by Valve Corporation as a component on the Steam platform.
Valve immediately cracked down cheaters right after the sale which is not a coincidence. It is common for banned Steam users to set up new accounts and stock up with cheap games during a sale. This is a workaround done to save money to avoid getting costly games.
The massive ban was done to discourage cheating. VAC will be monitoring the new Steam signups during and after the next major sale.
In related news, "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD" will be removed from Steam on July 17 based on an official announcement. For Steam's Weeklong Deal, the game has been discounted by 80 percent and now costs $1.99. After next week, the game's price will go back to almost $10.
According to Eurogamer, the removal of the game may have something to do with its licensed music, which has an expiration date. So, when a game's music license expires, it is removed from digital stores unless game companies want to get charged with infringement.
Meanwhile, the game "GORN" is now available on Steam Early Access at 25 percent off the original price. The violent virtual reality (VR) gladiator simulator was developed by Free Lives, makers of "Broforce" and "Genital Jousting." The sale will end on July 17.
The next major sale will be the Steam Halloween Sale which will take place in October.
