Valve acknowledges the issue of AI clones on Steam but does not intend to restrict developers
Valve acknowledges that the rise of generative AI has exacerbated the issue of game cloning on Steam. However, the company does not plan to combat this by banning specific tools or tightening publication rules.
This was discussed by Valve representatives Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson at Steam Indie Connect in South Korea.
The discussion was prompted by developers' complaints about the growing number of low-quality games and clones on Steam. One event participant even mentioned cases of extortion: perpetrators threaten to release an AI-generated copy of a game before the original unless the studio pays up.
“We don’t want to be gatekeepers telling developers which tools they can and can't use,” stated Giardino.
He noted that cloning existed even before the advent of generative AI, but it has now become significantly easier. As a defense, he advised developers to build a loyal community and create games whose value extends beyond easily replicable mechanics.
Wilkinson also commented on the issue of promoting low-quality projects at Steam Next Fest. He explained that during the first two days of the festival, demos are shown to users almost randomly, after which the system moves to personalized recommendations. This approach gives all participants, including low-quality projects, a chance for promotion. Valve is aware of the problem and is looking for ways to solve it.
It's worth noting that concerns about AI clones are already affecting developers' work. Recently, App2Top.ru reported that the studio Digital Sun Games decided against a public playtest of ReVamp due to the risk of copycat games appearing before release.