Steam Next Fest severely disappointed players. More than 500 games used AI

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Steam Next Fest used to be a fantastic way for hidden indie games to gain popularity. Many now-successful Steam hits, like Dave the Diver, Slay the Spire, and Dredge, were first discovered by players during this event, starting as small projects before becoming widely known.

This year’s October event revealed a concerning pattern that’s becoming more and more common for independent creators.

TechRaptor reports that over 500 demos—roughly 17% of all games showcased at this year’s Steam Next Fest—revealed they were created using generative AI.

Valve now requires game developers to be upfront about how they use artificial intelligence. Recent findings show that developers are employing AI in many areas of game creation – not just for promotion, but also for things like creating concept art, composing music and sound, handling translations, writing code, and even crafting storylines and character conversations.

Cloudheim at the top of the list – but with reservations

I was really surprised to learn that Cloudheim was the most popular game to admit using AI! It’s an action RPG that actually did pretty well during the festival, landing in the top 50 most played demos. The developers, Noodle Cat Games, were super upfront about it, but they explained they only used AI to help the team communicate and stay organized – it wasn’t about replacing anyone, which is great to hear.

In a statement posted on the game’s Steam page, the studio noted:

Just wanted to reassure everyone – no one here has been replaced by AI! That includes all the amazing people working on our team, like the artists, engineers, voice actors, and those handling translations – it’s still all real people doing the work.

Voices without soul

The issue is especially noticeable in larger game projects. Embark Studio, the creators of The Finals, previously revealed they used AI to replace voice actors in that game. Now, it appears they’re doing the same thing with their new game, Arc Raiders.

The game’s Steam page mentions the developers used AI to assist in making the game’s content. Players have noticed the conversations sound artificial, leading them to believe AI-generated voices were used.

This isn’t a one-time occurrence. We’re seeing a growing trend of game development teams secretly using AI tools, only revealing it when they’re called out. A recent example is the game ‘The Alters’ from 11 bit studios, which admitted to using AI after receiving criticism, though the amount they used it was relatively small.

Community reacts

A lively discussion started on Reddit following a report about the recent Steam Next Fest. Players shared their frustration, with many saying it’s getting harder to find worthwhile indie games on Steam. They feel like they have to wade through a lot of low-quality projects to find a good one, and while this has always been a challenge, the rise of AI-generated content is making the search even more difficult.

The discussion also included voices defending the reasonable use of AI in game development:

AI-generated content isn’t always bad. It can be a useful starting point, help fill in minor details, or even make things possible that weren’t before – like adding voice acting to a small game with a limited budget. However, it’s important to carefully review and refine AI-generated material instead of simply using it directly.

Someone else mentioned that technology doesn’t address the core problem for creators:

Artificial intelligence is being marketed as a way to make game development faster, but it’s important to have a clear vision for your game first. Without that vision, the AI can overwhelm the creative process, stripping away the unique personality and feeling until all that’s left is generic material.

I’ve been seeing so much talk lately about all these games being made with AI, and it really hit home when Artur Smiarowski, the creator of Soulash, pointed to a report from Gamalytic that backed up just how many there are. It’s a bit wild to think about!

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2025-10-23 13:03