A number of independent developers say unusually long Steam approval waits have disrupted their release plans, with some reporting delays of two weeks or more. Valve’s published guidance says developers should allow at least seven business days for review, including time to address potential issues, but several studios say that timeline has recently proved insufficient.
Examples include Caravarn Carnage: Fruity Road, submitted on October 16 and approved on November 1, and Ashen Legacy, which was submitted on October 15 and also cleared on November 1. Lacey’s Flash Games launched four days later than planned, while Wheel Make It was delayed by three weeks after its first review was rejected over how reviewers could access its local co-op mode.
Cubic Earth has also been left without a confirmed launch window. One of its developers told Kotaku that the delay has brought player questions and complaints, while traffic to the game’s Steam page from the platform’s features has stopped.
Food Devils, from Italy-based Studio Daimon, was due to launch on November 3 but was still awaiting approval after being submitted on October 12. Director Alfred Kamon said Valve raised a concern about sexual content on October 26, and that he replied immediately. He was still waiting for a further response seven days later. The studio says it followed Valve’s stated process and had prepared for a short review delay, but not weeks of uncertainty.
The delay has also upset the team after months of preparation. “Everyone in the team maybe even stayed up late or even during weekends,” Kamon told Kotaku, describing the work to finish, test and polish the game. Food Devils had originally been scheduled for November 5, but the team moved the date forward after learning that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time would launch that day. “Oh, no, we are not releasing on the same day as Zelda,” Kamon said.
Moving the release into December is not a straightforward option for the nine-person studio, which has worked on Food Devils for four years. Kamon said the team needs sales revenue before the end of the year, and Steam pays developers on a one-month delay. He said the studio would also welcome more visibility on Steam to help offset the disruption.
Developers suspect the review delays may be linked to a sharp rise in game submissions, including games that disclose the use of generative AI. The source reports that roughly 4,000 games launched on Steam in October, with nearly half disclosing some use of generative AI. However, Valve has not confirmed that this increase is responsible for the approval backlog, and the developers’ explanation remains unverified.
Valve has acknowledged broader concerns about AI-generated content on the platform. Marc Wilkinson said the company was aware of the situation and that a significant number of people were considering how to address it. But developers affected by the approval delays say they still lack clear information about how long reviews may take. Kamon said he would like Steam’s submission interface to give a realistic estimate, rather than advising developers to expect three to five days when reviews may take weeks.
Sources: Kotaku.