🚨INDIE DEVELOPERS ARE BEING THREATENED WITH AI GAME CLONES. VALVE HAS A PROBLEM.

Well, we've reached the point where making an original video game can earn you an extortion email.

Independent developers are reporting threats from people claiming they'll use AI to copy their games and release the knockoffs first unless they pay up. One developer reported a demand for $200.

Two hundred dollars. Apparently, originality now comes with a protection fee.

There's a catch worth mentioning. One highly publicized case raised suspicions of being staged, and not every threat comes with proof that a working clone exists. Still, developers have good reason to worry. AI tools make it easier to imitate a game's appearance and basic mechanics before the original even launches.

Some studios are already holding back public demos because they're afraid someone will rush out a copy. Think about that. Small developers need exposure to survive, but showing their work could give copycats a head start.

Valve addressed the issue at Steam Indie Connect. It doesn't want to dictate which development tools people can use, and it encouraged victims of extortion to report it and contact law enforcement.

Fair enough. AI itself isn't the criminal here. Threatening creators for money is.

Still, telling indie developers to build a loyal community while they're trying to protect an unreleased game feels a little like telling someone to buy a better lock after their house has been robbed.

The real question is whether storefronts can protect original creators without shutting out legitimate developers.

Because if the fastest way to launch a game becomes copying somebody else's work, we're going to have a lot more games and a whole lot less creativity.

Sources:
https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/27359/pay-200-or-well-clone-your-game-with-ai-and-sell-it-first-absurd-extortion-targeting-indie-developers-spreads
https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/27761/valve-responds-to-developers-fearing-ai-slop-and-clones

#Steam #Valve #IndieGames #AI #GamingNews

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