Indie developers are facing a new threat: emails demanding payment in exchange for not releasing AI-generated clones of their games on Steam. Valve has now acknowledged the issue during a panel at Steam Indie Connect in South Korea.
Developers targeted with extortion emails
Earlier this month, indie developer Takashi Mochibe shared on X that he received an email threatening to release an AI clone of his upcoming role-playing game Dragon’s Chronicles on Steam unless he paid $200 (£150) worth of Steam items. He warned other developers to be careful, attaching screenshots of the email.
A similar incident hit YNOT, the developer of the Halloween cooking game Spookitchen. YNOT removed the game’s demo from Steam after receiving a message that someone was copying the game using AI. The developer wrote on X: “Out of anxious feelings that the game, which took a long time to create, might be entirely copied, we’ve decided to close the demo. I hope creators’ rights are respected, and that we can develop games poured with love without worry.”
Valve responds at Steam Indie Connect
The issue was raised during a Q&A panel at Steam Indie Connect in South Korea on Tuesday, October 27, hosted by Steam business team members Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson. According to InvenGlobal, Giardino said it was the first time he had heard of the extortion emails. He noted it was an issue for law enforcement rather than the game platform, adding: “If you report such cases to us, we want to look into them further and help in whatever way we can.”
Giardino also outlined Valve’s stance on generative AI: “We don’t want to be gatekeepers telling developers which tools they should or shouldn’t use.” He said Steam focuses less on removing copies and clones and more on boosting discoverability of original games. He advised: “Rather than relying on a single mechanic that someone can easily copy, you need to keep growing your game by adding features, personality, and creativity that stem from your own perspective.”
Steam Next Fest and AI content
Steam Next Fest, Valve’s indie game festival, has faced criticism for featuring AI-generated content alongside games made with real effort. Wilkinson explained that during the event’s opening days, the goal is to give every developer fair exposure, which can lead to low-quality games being highlighted. He said: “We recognise that the trade-off is some low-quality games get exposed. We are fully aware of the situation, and a significant number of people are thinking about how to solve this problem.”
Steam already requires developers to disclose any visible AI content in games, whether it is art, audio, or text. The issue extends beyond Steam: on Roblox, unofficial “ports” of Undertale, Counter-Strike, and Left 4 Dead have appeared, seemingly copying entire games. As reported by content creator KreekCraft, these games have since been deleted, but the trend poses a challenge for gaming platforms monitoring such content to avoid potential lawsuits from publishers.
