Upcoming Postal game announced but swiftly canceled due to negative reactions.

Developer Running With Scissors recently announced a new installment in its controversial first-person shooter series, Postal, only to pull the plug on it the very next day. The studio has now revealed that it will be shutting down due to backlash and threats directed at its developers.

The game, titled Postal: Bullet Paradise, was introduced as a “timeline-hopping dystopian bullet heaven first-person shooter” infused with the franchise’s signature dark humor. Developed by Goonswarm Games, it seemed to take cues from titles like Vampire Survivors. Players would have stepped into the shoes of various Postal Dudes, taking on waves of cultists and protestors while combating “forced positivity, constant surveillance, obnoxiously bright lights, and social credit scores.”

Originally slated for a Q3 2026 release on Steam, with plans for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 versions, Postal: Bullet Paradise faced immediate backlash. Fans accused Goonswarm Games and Running With Scissors of incorporating generative AI artwork into the game. Despite co-owner Mike Jaret’s strong denials regarding the use of AI-generated assets, the studio ultimately decided to cancel the project after being inundated with negative feedback from the Postal community.

“Our trust in the development team is broken,” Running With Scissors stated.

While the official announcement for Postal: Bullet Paradise remains on the studio’s website, the reveal trailer has been set to private on YouTube, and its Steam page now displays a notice indicating that the game is no longer available on the platform.

Before the cancellation, Jaret had defended Goonswarm Games and the studio’s reputation on the Postal Discord, expressing frustration over accusations of AI usage. He urged community members who believed the key art was AI-generated to leave the Discord.

In a statement following the cancellation, Goonswarm Games expressed regret over the false accusations of using generative AI, which led to the studio’s closure. “Our studio was mistakenly accused of using AI-generated art in our games, and every attempt to clarify our work only escalated the situation,” the statement read. “In the last few hours, we’ve received a large number of threats, insults, and mockery, which pushed us toward a very difficult decision.”

Goonswarm Games CEO Artem Korovkin confirmed that the closure would affect nine developers and contractors. When asked if the studio would consider releasing Bullet Paradise without the Postal branding, Korovkin stated, “we still own the source code, but we don’t think continuing development on this project is realistic.”

The Postal franchise has been around since 1997, starting with the original game for Mac and Windows PC. It has seen multiple sequels and spin-offs, including the latest mainline entry, 2022’s Postal 4: No Regerts, and the retro-style shooter Postal: Brain Damaged. A remake of the second game in the series, titled Postal 2 Redux, is also in the works.