A small studio pulled its public demo from Steam Next Fest this weekend because it feared AI tools would copy the game before launch. It is one example of how some indie developers are weighing whether to show unfinished work.
Alliance Arts had planned to release a demo of Drunken Goddess Reflux, a demon-themed Russian Roulette drinking game, as Next Fest began. In a Friday evening post, the team pointed to streaming restrictions and a second worry: that the demo could be used to quickly mimic the game's look and play using AI or other tools, with copies appearing before release. The studio will now offer the demo only in closed sessions, to players who accept rules on posting and streaming.
Other developers share the worry
Papers, Please creator Lucas Pope said on a podcast in April that you generally don't talk about work in progress, because it might get "slurped up by AI" or copied. He said he no longer felt comfortable discussing what he was building.
There is a concrete case behind the fear. In March, developer Freya Holmér shared a prototype of a Tetris-style game played around a central rotating pivot. Days later, copies built quickly with AI coding tools (sometimes called vibe coding) had made the idea widely playable before she could ship her own. She wrote that it "disincentivizes me from sharing progress".
Sos Sosowski, who made McPixel, has been collecting examples of developers complaining about AI clones. His summary of the bind: "Don't share your game, no sales. Share your game, gets stolen".
The counterargument
Charlie Greenman, who posted one of the clones of Holmér's game, told 404 Media he saw nothing wrong with it and asked whether one game copying another is any different from one song copying another. Ivan Lago of Howltide Games argued that a game an AI can copy overnight rests on a thin idea built around one mechanic, and that depth is the best protection.
What we don't know yet
These are three anecdotes, not a measured trend. We have only one report to go on, and Alliance Arts' post reaches us through it, so we haven't independently confirmed the studio's reasoning or heard from Steam. The report doesn't say how many developers have changed plans, or whether any platform or law offers a remedy for a copied mechanic.
Next up is whether more Next Fest entrants go closed-door, and whether Steam responds on clones; neither has been reported yet. If you make games, would you still post a prototype in public?
Sources
- 1.AI game clones are making indie developers afraid to show their work · Ars Technica
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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