Party Animals Developers Apologize After $75,000 AI Contest Triggers Steam Backlash
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · May 14
Party Animals Developers Apologize After $75,000 AI Contest Triggers Steam Backlash
5 articles · Updated · Kotaku · May 14
$75,000 in planned prize money for a Party Animals AI video contest drew a developer apology within two days, with the team saying it had upset players and failed to communicate clearly.
May 12 contest rules required AI-generated content to be the core creative tool, turning what might have been a standard fan event into a direct endorsement of generative AI.
Steam's recent rating fell to Mostly Negative as players posted boycott threats and negative reviews, saying they would stop supporting the game over its embrace of AI.
A new player vote now offers three paths—cancel the contest, make it AI-free, or keep an AI category alongside human-made art—with cancellation leading by more than 20%.
Is this fierce player backlash a turning point, or just a speed bump on the road to an AI-dominated gaming industry?
After the Supreme Court denied copyright to AI art, why are game studios risking legal battles over AI-generated content?