The developers of the relaxing game Starsand Island asked players to stop posting glowing, but strangely similar, reviews after a large number appeared on Steam very quickly.
The launch was complicated by some initial problems with key delivery. A number of Kickstarter backers, especially those who pledged at higher levels, didn’t immediately receive access and had to contact both Discord moderators and Kickstarter support for help while the team sorted out the distribution. Meanwhile, gameplay footage was already being shared by influencers and new customers.
The game’s already busy launch became even more chaotic when it unexpectedly received a flood of “Overwhelmingly Positive” reviews – but for all the wrong reasons.
Starsand Island dev questions sudden wave of glowing reviews
A recent issue arose when gaming creator Play with Josh noticed a sudden increase in suspiciously positive reviews for the game Starsand Island on Steam. He pointed out that many of these reviews came from users with very similar account activity, suggesting they might not be genuine. He shared examples—over 100 in just 30 minutes—and asked Steam to investigate.
If you’d like to see more examples, here are around 100, and there are even more available. We’re bringing this to the attention of Steam for review.
— Josh (@Playwith_Josh) February 12, 2026
One player described the game as surprisingly simple but also deep and beautiful. Others expressed purchase intent, with one saying they’d buy it if the price was reasonable and another planning to buy it immediately upon release. However, these comments are odd considering Steam only allows reviews from players who already own the game.
Players immediately took to Reddit to express their concerns. One commenter said the practice felt dishonest and unnecessary. Despite acknowledging the game had flaws like bugs and a weak story, another player felt the developers should have allowed reviews to build naturally, as positive feedback was likely on its way. Another user simply called the situation strange and questioned the reasoning behind it.
In response, the developers issued a Steam statement titled “Announcement Regarding Artificial Comments.” They said they first believed the praise signaled recognition, then noticed short playtimes, clustered timestamps, and wording that “appeared to be AI-generated.” They said they had no concrete evidence of foul play but suggested someone may have acted intentionally, noting some accounts refunded the game after posting reviews.
The team stated they’re dedicated to creating a quality product and asked whoever is causing problems to cease their actions.
The studio said a follow-up post will address “the main concerns raised by the community.”
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2026-02-13 21:48