Valve admits it's 'running behind' on approving Steam games because it has to keep re-reviewing them, which surely has nothing to do with AI

A new kind of Steam problem has emerged: Games keep missing their release dates because Valve can't keep up with approving them.

Several frustrated indie devs have publicly posted about the limbo status of their finished games in the past week—including the developers of Food Devils, Wheel Make It, and Cubic Earth—saying that their applications have gone unanswered after up to 20 days, despite Valve's listed review window of three to five business days.

In the case of Cubic Earth, developer structmira hasn't been able to contact Valve and has no choice but to wait. "Our game's trailer amassed more than 60,000 views on YouTube, and we had more than 6,000 wishlists," the developer told PC Gamer over email. "Now, our Steam Community page is rapidly filling with player complaints, and we've lost all momentum."

Valve commented on the backlog today in the form of a Steamworks update aimed at helping developers pass the preview process. In it, the company admitted that it's "running a little...