Discussion about AI label on Steam continues. “The dev is being punished for their naive honesty”

Most players would love an option to filter out games with AI content on platforms like Steam, since they don’t want AI-generated games showing up in their recommendations. But it’s more complicated than it seems. Some developers don’t even admit they used AI, and sometimes AI is only used for small things that really shouldn’t be all that controversial – like generating several of robotic voice lines for a character.

The METAL EDEN case

METAL EDEN is a sci-fi FPS released in September 2025, developed by Reikon Games and published by Deep Silver. On its Steam page, the studio openly notes that the game includes some AI-generated content:

For some players, that’s an instant red flag, since they don’t want any AI in the games they buy. But when someone called METAL EDEN “AI slop,” one of the developers stepped in to respond:

Since then, discussions on Steam have heated up. Some players are defending the devs, saying the AI use was minimal and completely reasonable. Others are criticizing the game, arguing they should have just paid voice actors and claiming, “AI is ruining the industry.” The same debate is happening on Reddit, where people discuss the difference between outright “AI slop” and a justified use of the tool, with someone even saying that “the dev is being punished for their naive honesty.”

Should the AI tag stay?

Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, recently said that requiring AI-use labels on game store pages “makes no sense.” He argues that AI tools will be part of nearly all future game development, so tagging every title is pointless. While such disclosures might make sense for art or licensing platforms, Sweeney thinks game stores don’t need them.

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Right now, there’s no platform where you can filter out games with the “AI Content Disclosed” tag, though people have been talking about how it could work and make things clearer for players. On Steam, developers just leave a note explaining where AI was used in their game.

An example of what an AI disclosure could look like.Source: Reddit

One thing’s for sure: the community definitely wants the AI label to stay, but they also want a clear explanation of exactly what was made using it. Take Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 as an example – it recently faced backlash because many players think some in-game items, like calling cards and posters, were AI-generated. Fans say the art looks low-quality and doesn’t fit the series’ usual style, and they feel a full-price, big-budget game shouldn’t be using “AI slop.” The store page does mention AI was used for some assets, but it doesn’t say which ones, leaving players guessing what was made by humans and what wasn’t.

Metal Eden

September 2, 2025

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• Overview

• Steam
• scandals and controversies
• AI / Artificial Intelligence