Steam Week in Review: A touch of AI is all it takes to trigger backlash, as a promising new indie falls afoul of slop skeptics

Alive Inc's new Soulslike Metroidvania, "Vapor World: Over The Mind," launched into early access on Steam to significant backlash over its use of generative AI in cutscenes, despite having 100,000 wishlists. Players criticized the AI for inconsistencies and expressed a preference for human-made art, leading to "mostly negative" reviews. The studio, a small team of five in South Korea—a nation generally less skeptical of AI—was seemingly surprised by the reaction and quickly committed to replacing the AI-generated content. This incident highlights growing consumer skepticism towards AI in creative industries and its impact on indie game development, even in regions with high AI adoption.