Valve’s Sweet Secret: The Chocolate Tier for Successful Game Developers
There’s a delightful, albeit somewhat mysterious, tradition among a select group of successful developers on Steam: Valve sends them chocolates at the end of the year. The whispers about Valve’s so-called “chocolate tier” have been making the rounds lately, and it seems those rumors hold some truth.
One of the most comprehensive insights into the chocolate tier comes from game marketing consultant Chris Zukowski. In a video from December, he detailed what he’s gathered over the years from chatting with various developers. As Zukowski explains, Valve sends out a fancy box of chocolates to devs who hit a threshold of around $800,000 in annual revenue.
The chocolates are no ordinary treats — for those in the $800,000 club, they receive a box valued at approximately $150. Developers who break the $2 million barrier are treated to an even fancier $250 box from Fran’s Chocolates. Sure, $250 might feel like a drop in the bucket given the revenue these studios rake in, but it’s a charming way for Valve to express a little holiday cheer to the top dogs of Steam.
Interestingly, a significant factor behind Valve’s success comes from a few hundred employees dedicated to “self-directed projects.” This unique approach has made Valve one of the world’s most profitable companies per employee, on track to surpass $17 billion this year — far outpacing giants like Google and Meta.
In a recent discussion, the publishing lead for Baldur’s Gate 3 pointed out how Valve triumphed over Meta and Apple in the VR space. The key? Creating “incredible spaces for actual geniuses” rather than fretting over imaginary shareholders.
I stumbled upon the chocolate tier concept while reading an interview with the developers of Peak, a game that’s made a splash this year. Their studio, Aggro Crab, often shares office space with Mega Crit, the minds behind the beloved roguelike deckbuilder Slay the Spire. As Aggro Crab co-founder Nick Kaman humorously noted, the Mega Crit team enjoyed chocolates every year while Aggro Crab did not.
“Every year they got fucking chocolates that we didn’t,” Kaman joked during the interview. He was convinced that their quirky 2024 Soulslike, Another Crab’s Treasure, would qualify them for the chocolate tier, but no chocolates arrived. After reaching out to Valve, he received an apologetic response.
However, after selling over 11 million copies of Peak, Aggro Crab finally got its sweet rewards. Producer Joanna Lin shared that the milk chocolate salted caramel pieces were well worth the wait.
In 2025, Peak put friendslop on the map, but neither studio expected its massive success: “We were ready to hit the launch button and go into vacation mode,” they admitted.