Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins/Futurism. Source: Getty Images
An indie game developer experienced a moment of profound moral clarity, and now he’s removing his partially AI-created game from the digital storefront Steam.
The game, called “Hardest”, is a free-to-play “rock-paper-scissors” roguelike card game that was released last July to mixed-to-negative reviews (of which there are barely thirty in total.) Some users called it “mild” and criticized it for using AI art.
Now the developer, Eero “Raquel” Laine, seems to agree with those haters. On January 10, Line posted a surprising update Hardest is repenting for its mortal sin of indulging in AI shortcuts, announcing on the page that it will remove the game by the end of January.
“I created this game over a few months during the summer and thought about using AI because in university students are too brainwashed and all the equipment is given out for free,” he said. “But I’ve realized that AI really isn’t free, and it has big impacts on the economy and the environment.”
“Some AI companies may just use this game as a reason to get more investment for their AI companies, which benefits no one but sucks the resources of the economy away from hard-working people,” he said.
Line clarified that he did not vibe-code the entire game, and in fact programmed “everything himself”, so he is open to creating a new game with real, man-made assets in the future. But his current game, he says, “is an insult to all game makers and players.”
“The girl I was dating for a month made me realize it,” he said, giving another strange twist.
The use of generative AI has been a hot button issue in arts and entertainment, and game development has been no exception. In recent months, its role in the production of several high profile titles has reignited debate about how it should be used in the industry.
When fantasy RPG sensation Clair Obscure: Expedition 33 earned historic accolades at last year’s Game Awards, including Game of the Year, observers were worried. noted The fact is that the creators openly admitted to using AI assets during its development, although it is said that no AI made it into the final product. Then the Indie Game Awards announced that it was related to repeal Expedition 33 was given a GOTY award due to its AI use, which sparked widespread debate.
After dropping the trailer for their upcoming title Divinity at the Game Awards ceremony, Baldur’s Gate 3 creator CEO Larian has stoked the buzz further. Claim The studio will use AI to “explore ideas” and “develop concept art.” The message appears to be that AI in game development is here to stay, and will not hinder games having both critical and commercial success, as evidenced by the popularity of new fan-favorite Ark Raiders, a multiplayer extraction shooter. Uses AI to generate the voices of both player characters and NPCs. Perhaps the entire industry is too late for an achievement like Line.
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