Prepare for thousands of AI slop on Steam!

    Posted by sidius-king

    12 Comments

    1. Gonna really need that “AI” filter to try and remove them from my queue, search results, etc

      Also, inevitably, at some point someone somewhere is gonna accidentally create some bullshit 2$ AI-Prompted game which will go viral for one reason or another, and then a million articles will be written about how much money was saved and how AI-prompted games will be the future some day, and then we’ll all pretend like we never doubted it. Calling it now.

    2. bestestopinion on

      It is understandable that announcements like this trigger concern. However, a measured evaluation suggests there are reasons not to react with immediate alarm.

      1. Marketing language is often aspirational.
      Phrases like “prompt full casual games into existence” are typically forward-looking simplifications. In practice, such tools usually assist with scaffolding, prototyping, or boilerplate generation rather than replacing entire development pipelines.

      2. “Casual games” is a constrained category.
      The claim is not about generating AAA-scale systems with complex netcode, custom engines, and bespoke art direction. Casual games are structurally simpler and more template-driven, which makes them more amenable to automation.

      3. Tooling ≠ displacement.
      Game engines already abstract large amounts of complexity. AI-assisted tooling is an extension of that abstraction trend. Historically, higher-level tools increase productivity but do not eliminate the need for designers, artists, and engineers.

      4. Prompt-based generation still requires intent and iteration.
      Natural language input does not remove decision-making. Someone must define constraints, evaluate output quality, refine direction, and ensure coherence. That remains a creative and technical role.

      5. Competitive reality limits overreach.
      If such tools underdeliver, developers will not adopt them. If they overpromise, market correction follows. Industry incentives discourage long-term vaporware positioning.

      6. Automation has precedent in game development.
      Procedural generation, asset stores, middleware physics engines, and visual scripting tools were once viewed as threatening. They became standard productivity tools instead.

      Conclusion:
      The announcement is best interpreted as an expansion of development tooling rather than an existential shift. Skepticism is reasonable, but immediate outrage is likely premature.

    3. You’d think Unity would do their best to regain the “communities” trust after their disastrous betrayal. But apparently the same type of Genius is at work when they suggest AI slob is the way to go.

      It’s a shame. I used to like Unity games.

    4. Steam is already full of slop – loads of puzzlers and platformers any person who follows a youtube tutorial can make. The more, the merrier. That’s how real content stands out.

    5. SubstantialYak6572 on

      There’s already thousands of Human Slop on Steam, this is just a different flavour… stop knee-jerking into action every time you see those two letters.