Valve Delays Steam Game Approvals Amid Submission Surge
- Valve is experiencing delays in approving game submissions due to an unprecedented backlog.
- Re-reviews of games missing key quality assurance checks are contributing to extended wait times.
- New requirements have been implemented to assist developers in ensuring their games meet approval standards.
In recent months, Valve has reported an unprecedented influx of game submissions to Steam, leading to significant delays in the approval process. As the company grapples with a growing backlog, developers have voiced their concerns regarding the extended timelines.
In response to developer complaints on social media and related forums, Valve clarified that the delays are primarily due to the need for re-reviews, which have been slowing down the entire approval system. Valve stated, “We aim to test every game build in a timely manner, typically within three-five business days. However, we’re running a little behind right now and taking up to 12 business days. Much of that delay is due to having to re-review games, which isn’t great for you or for us.”
According to Valve, games are subjected to re-reviews when they fail to pass essential quality assurance checks. To facilitate smoother submissions, Valve has revised the Steam release checklist, introducing stricter requirements for developers.
One new requirement mandates that games be run through Steam for a minimum of five minutes, as Valve indicated that some submitted titles had not undergone this essential testing on the platform. “This means that even if a game runs smoothly when a dev launches their executable directly, they might have missed basic steps that would impact a user installing and playing via Steam,” Valve explained.
Valve has also instituted a rule requiring developers to disclose whether their games necessitate common redistributables such as DirectX, Visual C++, .NET, and XNA. While Steam can automatically install many of these, it is essential for Valve to know which ones are required. Additionally, the changes include new guidelines on achievement readiness, detection of cloud saves, and updates to requirements for Steam store pages.
“We now surface some of the most common issues we see missed, along with asking for some information to help our reviewers from the start,” Valve added. For instance, if a game supports multiple languages, the developers are now prompted to ensure they have included all indicated languages in the build.
Although Valve did not specifically attribute the influx of poor-quality submissions to generative AI, the growing number of AI-assisted games has raised concerns regarding quality control. Valve has previously addressed the issue of AI game cloning, advising developers to create titles that are less easily replicated. This situation has left some developers worried that their games could be cloned and released on Steam before their original titles complete the approval process.
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
