Valve Acknowledges AI Slop Flood on Steam

Valve has quietly confirmed that AI-generated clone games are already flooding Steam. Some indie studios even report ransom threats demanding money to halt the copies. At Steam Indie Connect in Korea on October 27, Valve reps Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson addressed the issue. Giardino warned that extortion is a law-enforcement matter, not something Steam can police. He then urged developers to build community and keep improving their games continuously. That advice assumes studios have funds to add endless features, which many indie creators lack. Wilkinson noted that Next Fest showed twice the demos of the previous event. But early press only covered the first two days, skewing the perception of AI garbage. He added that a significant number of people are already brainstorming solutions. Meanwhile, developers like those targeted by clone threats must keep adding unique mechanics, or risk being outpaced before launch. "Launch feels like the finish line, but it's actually the starting line," Giardino said.