Steam’s Ai-generated Game Flood Delays Indie Launches

WHO:

Kotaku - Valve handles Steam game and store-page reviews; developer accounts describe delays affecting indie studios, including Studio Daimon, the nine-person team behind *Food Devils*.

Kotaku - Alfred Kamon is *Food Devils*’ director. Mira, a developer of *Cubic Earth*, said the game had no known launch window after its launch was derailed.

The Verge - Alfred Kamon and 2 Left Thumbs suspected that “slop” was slowing Steam’s review process.

Kotaku - Valve’s Marc Wilkinson said, “We are fully aware of the situation, and a significant number of people are thinking about how to solve this problem.”

WHAT:

Kotaku - Developers reported Steam reviews taking two or three weeks or more, rather than Valve’s usual stated 3–5 business days. Valve said reviews were taking “up to 12 business days” amid increased submissions.

Kotaku - *Food Devils*, submitted for review October 12, had not been approved by its planned launch day. *Caravarn Carnage: Fruity Road*, submitted October 16, was approved November 1; *Ashen Legacy*, submitted October 15, was also approved November 1.

Kotaku - *Lacey’s Flash Games* launched four days late; *Wheel Make It* launched three weeks late after a review rejection and resubmission.

The Verge - October’s Steam Next Fest had 7,240 games, 65.2 percent more than June’s event. A Reddit user found 49.9 percent of games released since Steam began requesting AI-use disclosures in 2024 had an AI disclosure.

Kotaku - About 4,000 games were released on Steam in October; nearly 50 percent disclosed some generative-AI use. More games had been released on Steam in 2026 than in all of 2025, with two and a half months remaining.

The Verge - Valve updated its release checklist, including a requirement that developers run a game through Steam for at least five minutes; it said further build-review improvements were coming.

The Verge - Itch.io said game-page creation per day had doubled over two months and that it had deleted “a couple terabytes of ai slop.”

WHERE:

Kotaku - Studio Daimon is based in Italy.

WHEN:

Kotaku - Valve advised developers to submit store pages at least seven business days before their intended publication date.

The Verge - Valve’s statement about increased submissions and reviews taking up to 12 business days was published after The Verge first ran its story; the article update is dated November 3rd.

WHY:

Kotaku - Developers suspected an influx of AI-generated games was contributing to Valve’s review bottleneck; Valve attributed much of the delay to re-reviewing submissions with issues.

Kotaku - Kamon said *Food Devils* needed to launch soon because Steam pays out sales revenue on a one-month delay and the studio needed the income before year-end.

HOW:

Kotaku - Valve said it was adjusting internal processes and adding developer checklist items to reduce submissions returned for changes. The company’s published process allows for review feedback and another review after developers address issues.

(UPDATED November 4, 2026 08:59 UTC)

Steam game reviews are taking up to twelve business days, delaying indie launches and revenue. Valve blames increased submissions and re-reviews, while developers suspect a surge in AI-generated games is contributing. The company is adjusting its process and checklist to reduce delays.