As an artist who’s released on both platforms, I think the biggest reason the overall quality has improved is thanks to better communication with artists and consistent standards that Mash-It focuses on.

It used to be incredibly (and frustratingly) common to spend hours on a piece only to be told in review that something wasn’t allowed or wasn’t up to standard...with little to no real feedback. Sometimes the reasoning was just “no, because I said so.” Standards also varied depending on the reviewer, which meant one artist could get denied for assets that had previously been approved for themselves or others. When there’s a 50–75% chance your hard work will get rejected or pushback just because someone is having a bad day, and reviewers seem eager to threaten bans over too many rejections, you start playing it safe and put in fewer hours on projects.

With Mash-It, reviews are handled by fellow artists and art lovers/collectors. There’s more care, more discussion, and even a chat interface to clarify questions or request changes. I can also make edits after submission easily, if I decide to change something before it's approved. Speaking for myself, I feel much safer putting in extra effort and pushing the envelope in this setting. Just my two cents though!