Overview
- Pocketpair communications head John Buckley reaffirmed on June 17–18 that the studio does not use generative AI and will not publish or partner with projects that rely on AI, Web3, or NFTs.
- Buckley said the studio keeps many in-house artists who prefer to create assets themselves and argued replacing them with AI would harm the product and player trust.
- Steam now requires developers to disclose generative AI use on store pages, a policy that revealed heavy uptake at events such as Steam Next Fest with about 8,600 demos and nearly 1,700 flagged for AI use.
- Several studios have faced backlash or issued apologies after undisclosed or placeholder AI content appeared in builds, with examples including Crazy Taxi, Pearl Abyss, Owlcat, Ubisoft, and 11 Bit Studios.
- Industry observers say this split could create an 'authenticity' marketing niche, sharpen reputational risk for studios that hide AI use, and deepen regional differences in how quickly developers adopt generative tools.