An indie developer is set to remove his generative AI-assisted game from Steam within weeks after a new relationship forced him to rethink what “free” tools really cost. He says the economic and environmental consequences are real, and that keeping the game up would be unethical.
Hardest is a free rock-paper-scissors game currently available on Steam. It was released last year by indie developer Eero Laine under the Rakuel Studio name, and it is one of many titles on Steam that carry a disclosure at the bottom of their store page stating they were made using generative AI tools.
Laine says he plans to delete the game from Steam on January 30, after his girlfriend of one month convinced him that “AI is bad” and that she wants nothing to do with games created with generative AI. The developer also explained that he built the project using AI content-creation tools provided through his university. At first, he believed he could use those resources “for free” and without consequences, but he now says he better understands what AI – and generative AI in particular – implies from an economic and environmental standpoint.
“This game will be deleted on January 30. I made this game over the summer in a couple of months and decided to use AI because at university, students are brainwashed, and all the tools are provided for free. I could generate unlimited images for free, etc. But I have realized that AI is not actually free and has a major effect on the economy and environment. Some AI companies could use the existence of this game as a reason to get more investment for their companies, which benefit no one but rather suck resources from the economy and hardworking people. I coded everything myself, so if I feel like it, I can make a new game with real assets in the future. However, the game existing in its current form is a disgrace to all game makers and players. The only ethical and logical reason is to delete the game from Steam. The girl I’ve been dating for a month made me realize this. Thank you.” – wrote Eero Laine.
Generative AI has been a contentious topic across the games industry, and it’s unlikely to get any less divisive. In Laine’s case, after his girlfriend highlighted what he views as major negatives tied to the current state of generative AI – not to mention broader hardware trends like RAM pricing – he concluded that he can no longer support the technology, regardless of how small that support might be.
![However, an anonymous GOG employee paints an even darker tone of the internal situation: „We were told it’s a financial decision. GOG’s revenue couldn’t keep up with growth, the fact that we’re dangerously close to being in the red has come up in the past few months, and the market’s move towards higher [developer] revenue shares have, or will, affect the bottom line as well.](https://thegeek.games/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/the-gog-1-302x180.jpg)
