Valve admits it's 'running behind' on approving Steam games because it has to keep re-reviewing them, which surely has nothing to do with AI
As wishlisted games miss their release dates, Valve creates a new checklist to help devs get it right the first time.
Valve has admitted that it is running behind on approving Steam games, as the company struggles to keep up with reviewing them. This issue has caused several indie developers to miss their release dates, with post launch reviews taking up to 12 business days, double the usual window of 3-5 days. Undoubtedly, the backlog is due to the need to re-review games, which is not only frustrating for the developers but also for Valve.
The update primarily aims at developers to submit better applications that pass review quickly the first time. A notable new requirement is to have run the game through Steam for at least five minutes to ensure it functions correctly. Valve also asked developers to confirm the use of common redistributables, confirm cloud saves and achievements, and add at least five screenshots depicting gameplay to the store page.
The tone of Valve's request suggests that they are surprised by the state of some games being reviewed, as they have been reviewed before but may have missed basic steps that impact the user experience. While Valve did not comment on why the backlog has developed recently, the elephant in the room is AI, which has led to an explosion of AI-generated games on Steam that do not receive much visibility.
Valve acknowledged that there is a problem with low-quality games on Steam, but they do not want to be gatekeepers telling developers which tools they should or shouldn't use.
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