Last summer, solo developer Eero “Rakuel” Laine released Hardest, a free-to-play card game roguelike that he openly admitted was created with AI-generated assets. Since then, Laine has had a change of heart about AI and decided to delete Hardest from Steam on January 30.
In a message posted to Hardest’s Steam page, Laine credited his epiphany to his significant other and explained why he used AI assets in the first place.
“I made this game during the summer in couple months and thought to use AI because in university there is so much brainwashing on students and all the tools are given for free,” wrote Laine. “So I could generate unlimited images for free … But I have realized the AI is not actually free, and it has a major effect on the economy and environment.”
“I coded everything myself, so I can in the future make a new game with real assets if I feel like it,” added Laine. “But the game existing in its current form is a disgrace to all game makers and players. Ethically only logical reason is to delete the game from Steam.”
The use of AI-generated assets in game development remains a hotly debated topic. Hooded Horse–the publisher behind Endless Legend 2, Terra Invicta, and Against the Storm–recently banned all AI-generated content from its games. Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender even described them as “cancerous.”
Shortly after Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was named Game of the Year at the Indie Game Awards, it was it was stripped of its win over “placeholder” AI assets that were eventually removed from the game.
Another hit from 2025, Arc Raiders, has come under fire for using AI-based text-to-speech systems. Patrick Söderlund–the head of Arc Raiders studio Embark–has since said, “We don’t use AI to not have to hire people or replace people or job groups or voice actors … People have to take a step back and understand what it is and how it can be a big help to developers and be a tremendous benefit to players. I realize it is an intricate subject and discussion.”