Game Developers Address Review Bombing Following $75K AI Contest Controversy
Party Animals is a lighthearted party brawler where you take control of cute animals to engage in hilarious and chaotic combat against other adorable creatures. Released in late 2023 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X, and later making its way to PlayStation 5 in 2025, the game quickly gained popularity, amassing over 17,000 “Very Positive” reviews on Steam. However, its recent reception has taken a downturn, and the reasons are becoming clear.
On Wednesday, the developer announced a video contest with a prize pool of $75,000. However, they specified that entries “must be primarily created using AI tools,” according to the official contest rules. The developer encouraged participants to bring their creative visions to life, stating that ideas that once existed only in imagination could now become reality with AI. Ironically, the rules also required that “all submissions must be original works,” despite the fact that much generative AI relies on existing copyrighted material and the work of real artists.
As the gaming community grows increasingly wary of AI—evident from the backlash against AI use in titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Larian Studios’ upcoming Divinity—Party Animals players reacted negatively to the contest, leading to a wave of review bombing on Steam. One player lamented, “Rest in peace, loved this game but they’re leaning into AI now so I will no longer support this company.” Another review expressed disappointment, stating, “Sucks to see a good party game stoop so low to replace assets and/or community competitions with AI garbo.”
In response, Recreate Games issued an apology and initiated a poll to gauge community sentiment regarding the video contest. Shortly after the contest was announced, the developer took to social media to “address the recent discussion” surrounding the AI component. They explained that their intention was to make creation more accessible and that they viewed AI as just another tool, emphasizing their commitment to the ideas and expressions of the community.
In a pinned post on their social media account, Recreate Games is soliciting feedback, allowing players to vote on whether to cancel the contest, switch it to a non-AI format, or retain the AI aspect while adding a non-AI option. As of now, 57.3% of voters are in favor of canceling the contest, while only 7.9% support the AI version.
It appears that Recreate Games’ efforts to rectify the situation are not resonating well. One user commented, “For you guys to think this poll is even needed rather than just walking it back after all the backlash is almost worse than allowing it in the first place.” Another added, “Unfortunately, as others have said, the fact you see GenAI as a ‘tool’ and the inclusion of option 3 on this poll shows you’ve listened and learned nothing. Disappointing.”
With the poll open for two more days, the sentiment from the over 4,900 votes cast is becoming increasingly clear. The game initially launched with AI-generated background assets, which were later removed in a patch.
