Steam’s Latest Cozy Sim Inspired by Animal Crossing Faces Pressure to Reveal AI Details

Heartopia, a cozy life simulation game reminiscent of Animal Crossing, has emerged as one of the standout titles on Steam this month. Interestingly, the game incorporates AI-generated content, a fact that the developers recently revealed.

Developed by XD International, Heartopia poses the intriguing question: “What if Animal Crossing had a chibi anime twist?” It launched on January 17, following a series of closed beta tests in November and December 2025, and saw a peak of over 35,000 concurrent players.

However, player reviews have been mixed, with the game currently holding a 66 percent positive rating on Steam. Many negative comments stem from the developers’ failure to initially disclose their use of AI-generated artwork in Heartopia.

One user noted, “This game contains Generative AI (used to generate the puzzles), which they didn’t disclose until the accusations of it surfaced.” The revelation about AI usage only came to light after an inquiry was made to Heartopia’s UK PR team. Shortly thereafter, the developers issued a statement on Discord.

In their message to fans, they clarified, “Monetization Content in Heartopia does not include AI-generated materials. Should any AI-assisted content be used in the game in the future, it will be announced in advance. Marketing materials produced outside the game, including those created in collaboration with third-party suppliers, are not covered by the scope of this disclosure.”

Following this, Heartopia’s Steam page was updated to include an “AI Generated Content Disclosure” section, which explains that “AI is used in the puzzle gameplay to reinterpret and redraw in-game snapshot images” and that AI also assists in in-game chat to help players understand different languages.

Despite the backlash, the developers have not issued an apology for their initial lack of transparency regarding AI-generated assets on Steam. Given the apparent use of AI in the puzzle minigame, it raises questions about how they expected to avoid scrutiny on this matter.