As AI coding tools lower the barriers to game development, a new concern has emerged in the indie game industry. Worries are growing that if developers reveal works in progress, similar games made with AI could appear before an official release.

According to IT outlet Ars Technica on Oct. 19, game developer Alliance Arts canceled plans to distribute a demo of its new title "Drunken Goddess Reflux" to coincide with Steam Next Fest. The game pits players against demons in a Russian roulette-style showdown while drinking alcohol.

The developer voiced concern that the game mechanics and presentation included in the demo could be quickly copied using AI and other tools, allowing similar titles to appear before the official launch. Instead of making the demo available for anyone to download, it shifted to posting gameplay videos and holding private sessions limited to users who agreed to rules related to streaming.

Similar concerns have emerged among other developers. Lucas Pope (루카스 포프), developer of "Papers, Please", said on a podcast in April that the possibility of imitation by AI or other developers has made it harder to freely share works in development as in the past.

There have also been cases of AI-driven copying. Freya Holmer (프레야 홀메르) released a demonstration video in March for a Tetris-like game in which blocks are stacked around a rotating axis. Within days, similar games made using AI coding tools appeared online. Holmer said that at first new copies appeared almost every day, and added that it sapped her motivation to share the development process.

Sos Sosowski (소스 소소프스키), developer of "McPixel", also pointed to the dilemma for indie developers, saying it is hard to sell a game without revealing it, but revealing it carries the risk of having ideas stolen.

Copycat makers, by contrast, countered that using a game’s basic idea is not necessarily wrong. Debate is continuing over the boundary between simple imitation and creation.

The assessment is that AI is speeding up game production while intensifying friction between promoting new releases and protecting ideas.