Steam addresses delays in pre-release game tests
, by Thibaut
On Steam, launching a video game isn’t something that happens overnight. Developers must follow a specific process and meet certain requirements to ensure users have an experience free of major glitches.
However, several independent developers have recently voiced their dissatisfaction on social media. While the verification process typically takes between three and five days, some studios have reported waiting 12 days or more to complete it, something that could lead to a game’s release date being pushed back in certain cases.
Valve has therefore provided an explanation for this delay. The issue stems from the large number of games that fail their initial submission. These games must then be re-evaluated, which slows down the process for everyone.
"We aim to test every game build in a timely manner, typically within 3-5 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.
Believe it or not, sometimes we review builds that have not ever been played through Steam. 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.
We've heard from a lot of developers and know how stressful it's been having to wait for review build updates longer than expected. More improvements are coming to the build review process, but these initial changes are a great starting point."
Among the changes implemented, Valve now requires developers to run their game for at least five minutes before submitting their build. This is to ensure that the game functions properly. Studios must also specify which redistributable components (DirectX, Visual C++, .NET, XNA, etc.) Steam needs to install. Finally, a process for detecting Steam Cloud saves and confirming achievements has been added.
Source: steamcommunity.com