AI in Steam Next Fest demos divides players and ignites transparency debate

Criticism of AI use in Steam Next Fest demos: 10% of the top 100 admit to AI use, 17% disclose it, sparking debate on transparency and discoverability for indie studios.

Summary of the case

The Steam Next Fest, Valve's demo festival, is under fire for including AI-created or AI-assisted content. Data from a manual analysis indicates that 10% of the top 100 demos admitted to using AI in development.

Among these, four games reported using AI for placeholder images or music that have already been or will be replaced in the final version.

Reactions and transparency

John 'Bucky' Buckley, Head of Publishing at Palworld, expressed frustration on social media regarding the large volume of demos, stating he does not feel compelled to test content with AI-generated art.

This view reflects a growing sentiment among players that discoverability is becoming overwhelming, especially given content whose quality is questionable.

Valve instituted AI disclosure requirements to increase transparency about the use of tools in art, writing, or code. However, some counts indicate that over 17% of recent Next Fest demos already included this disclosure, fueling criticism regarding enforcement and veracity.

In forums, users highlight the lack of real penalties for those who fail to disclose AI use, fueling the discussion about the effectiveness of the transparency system.

Furthermore, many players have started sorting by popularity or reviews to filter out what is called "AI slop" — a strategy that conflicts with the conference's goal of giving visibility to smaller studios.

Another attendee pointed out that in recent festivals, the preference for popular titles has made it difficult to discover games that might otherwise gain visibility.

Show Highlights

• Windrose — PvE open-world pirate game with Souls-like combat and challenging bosses, featuring about five hours of demo time and a co-op option.
• Outbound — Cozy exploration with mobile base building, offering flexible perspectives between third-person for driving and first-person for walking.
• Witchspire — Survival game with crafting and mechanics inspired by Pokémon, set in a magical environment, with progression up to level 7 and broomstick flying.
• Animalkind — Animal characters piloting mechs in a sandbox world with multiplayer for up to three friends.
• Deep Dish Dungeon — Dungeon crawler featuring cooking mechanics in an action RPG format, with about an hour of introductory gameplay.
• Delverium — Minecraft-inspired building sandbox featuring farming, procedurally generated worlds, and multiplayer for up to eight players.
• The Last Gas Station — A shop simulator where the player manages a service station in a desolate landscape, featuring pixel art and a mysterious plot.
• Titanium Court — An attraction noted by the press as a must-see demo, despite having been released shortly before the Next Fest.

Additional validation for the format comes from the fact that Valve holds the Next Fest in distinct promotional windows throughout the year — February, June, and October — maintaining a focus on showcasing unreleased games and giving visibility to independent studios.

The episode highlights the tensions between platform openness and the need for quality control as generative tools become more common in game development.

Conclusion

The discussion continues: can the growing presence of AI in demos benefit the discovery of innovative works, or will it harm the experience by increasing noise and reducing trust in the transparency of the information presented?

What is your take on the role of AI in the Next Fest demos? Share in the comments what you think should change to balance transparency, quality, and discoverability.

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