Indie games are missing launch dates because Steam is backed up
Indie developers face long Steam approval delays, causing missed launch dates, possibly due to AI-generated game submissions clogging the review queue.Summary
Many indie game developers are experiencing unexpectedly long approval wait times for game submissions on Steam, causing them to miss planned launch dates. For example, Studio Daimon's Food Devils, submitted on October 12th, is still awaiting approval and may miss its early access launch. Publisher 2 Left Thumbs also missed its launch of Wheel Make It by nearly two weeks due to build review delays. Valve states that reviews typically take 3-5 business days, but the process is now taking several weeks for some developers. The delays are suspected to be caused by a surge in game submissions, particularly "AI slop," clogging the review queue. Valve has not commented. Itch.io is also dealing with a rise in game pages, having recently deleted terabytes of AI-generated content.
(Source：The Verge)