Overview
- Developer Eero Laine, known as Rakuel, announced in a Jan. 10 Steam post that Hardest will be removed from the storefront on Jan. 30.
- The free-to-play roguelike uses AI-generated art and music and displays Steam’s required disclosure for AI-generated assets; it launched in July 2025.
- Laine says he realized AI is “not actually free” and harmful, citing economic and environmental impacts and noting a recent girlfriend influenced his thinking.
- Hardest remains available to download until delisting, and existing copies will stay in players’ libraries after removal.
- Laine says he coded the game himself and may rebuild it with original assets; the title has a Mixed rating on Steam with about 54% positive across 31 reviews.