Valve annually sends boxes of elite chocolate to developers whose projects reach a certain income level. This unusual gesture has become known as the "chocolate tier" and has long been rumored among indie developers, and now its existence has been confirmed.
According to game marketing consultant Chris Zukowski, who collected data from conversations with developers, the threshold for receiving a gift is approximately $800,000 in annual revenue. In this case, Valve sends a box of chocolate worth about $150.
Those who exceed the $2 million mark per year receive a more premium box - for $250, in particular from Fran's Chocolates.
A striking example of a "chocolate" drama occurred with the Aggro Crab studio. They share an office in Seattle with the developers of Slay the Spire (Mega Crit), who regularly received the coveted boxes. Aggro Crab co-founder Nick Kaman joked in an interview with Game File: "Every year they got freaking chocolates, and we didn't."
In 2024, the team was confident that their game Another Crab's Treasure had passed the threshold, but the chocolate never arrived. After a letter to Valve, the developers received an apology. But in 2025, Peak was released (a joint project of Aggro Crab and Landfall Games), which sold more than 11 million copies. This time the box has already arrived.