Valve is updating its game release rules to unclog a backlog of approvals caused by a flood of new titles, many created with AI. The goal for new title reviews is three to five days, but it is currently taking up to 12 business days. First and foremost, developers must run their games through Steam for at least five minutes to ensure it works on the platform.
Valve notes it reviews builds never played through Steam, meaning developers might have missed basic steps impacting users. The company is also requiring devs to confirm common redistributables like Direct X and Visual C++, check that achievements are ready, confirm Steam Cloud save paths are configured correctly, and categorize screenshots as gameplay, menus, concept art, or cinematics. The delays are having consequences for developers.
One developer reported their game's trailer amassed over 60,000 YouTube views and 6,000 wishlists, but Steam Community pages are now filling with player complaints, causing lost momentum. The time seems to have spiked around September/October presumably due to the overwhelming amount of low-quality AI games flooding Steam. In October, 49.9 percent of games released disclosed AI-generated content, compared to nearly 20 percent in June.
The new rules aim to improve the build review process as a starting point, though more improvements are coming.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing