Tag: AI Controversy

  • Party Animals cancels AI video contest after vote

    Party Animals cancels AI video contest after vote

    Key Takeaway

    – The Party Animals AI video contest was canceled after a landslide community vote, with 57.3% proposing a full shutdown.
    – The Golden Paw Awards and AI mandate caused a rapid drop in Steam reviews (Very Positive to Mostly Negative) within 24 hours, seen as a failure in planning and communication.
    – The contest’s rules were criticized as contradictory: requiring “original works” while mandating AI as the core creative tool across all media.

    Recreate Games Cancels AI Video Contest After Community Poll

    Recreate Games has officially cancelled Party Animals’ AI video contest, confirming the decision on May 19 after a community poll returned a decisive verdict against it. The studio’s Golden Paw Awards had already driven the game’s Steam rating from Very Positive to Mostly Negative in under 24 hours, a collapse the developer acknowledged as a failure of both planning and communication. The outcome was driven by a clear majority that preferred discontinuation rather than a modification.

    Poll Results and Immediate Reactions

    Cancel entirely: 57.3% Change to non-AI contest: 34.6% Keep AI, add human category: 8.1% With a clear majority opting for a full shutdown, Recreate Games moved to cancel rather than pivot. The studio’s statement admitted the contest was “insufficiently conceived,” the design “inadequately thought through,” and the community communication “not up to par.” The original intent was to lower the barrier to entry for players without traditional video-editing skills, though the developer now acknowledges it has achieved the opposite by mandating AI as the sole creative tool.

    Contracted Rules and Public Discourse

    The rules compounded the problem. While the contest required all submissions to be “original works,” it simultaneously demanded that generative AI serve as “the core creative tool” across images, video, music, voiceovers, and 3D assets. Players flagged the contradiction publicly within hours of the announcement. The speed and scale of the backlash reflect how quickly AI pushback now converts into direct commercial damage for games with an active player base. A years-long, very positive rating was wiped out in a single day. Several fans pointed out during the controversy that if accessibility was the real goal, releasing game assets for players to use in handcrafted submissions would have achieved it without the AI mandate.

    Context and Related Reactions

    Party Animals is not the only title to face this kind of response in recent weeks. Notebookcheck reported earlier this month on Neverness to Everness facing community backlash after players identified suspected AI-generated assets in the game’s environments, with VTuber Ironmouse publicly cutting ties with the developer over the claims. The incident illustrates how communities scrutinize AI usage in games and how those reactions can influence a publisher’s or developer’s standing with fans, backers, and potential buyers. Past coverage Shacknews

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  • Party Animals Hit by Steam Review Bombing Over AI Slop

    Party Animals Hit by Steam Review Bombing Over AI Slop

    Key Takeaway

    – Controversial AI contest (Golden Paw Awards) triggered a sharp backlash, causing Steam reviews to swing from Very Positive to Mostly Negative within 24 hours.
    – The contest required AI-generated content as the core tool despite claiming entries must be original, causing conflict and criticism from players.
    – Recreate Games apologized, paused to communicate, and offered three community-vote options: cancel, switch to non-AI, or keep AI with a handmade category; no final decision yet.

    Party Animals developer Recreate Games has apologised after a $75,000 AI video contest drove the game’s Steam reviews from Very Positive to Mostly Negative – currently at Mixed at the time of publication – in under 24 hours.

    Overview of the Controversy

    The contest, dubbed the Golden Paw Awards, was announced on May 13 and required all entries to use generative AI as “the core creative tool.” Players were asked to submit short films using AI-generated images, video, music, voiceovers, and 3D assets. The backlash was immediate.

    Platform Reception and Changes

    Party Animals is a physics-based co-op brawler from Chinese studio Recreate Games that launched in September 2023 simultaneously on PC via Steam and Xbox, with day-one availability on Xbox Game Pass. It later expanded to PlayStation and has built a loyal following across all three platforms. Reviews on Steam had been Very Positive for years. Within a day of the Golden Paw Awards announcement, they dropped to Mostly Negative.

    Community Reactions

    “Giving $75K to people who just press a button to generate AI slop is an affront to creating games,” wrote one reviewer with over 370 hours in the game. The rules of the contest made the reaction worse: while stating all entries must be “original works,” the rules simultaneously required AIGC as the core tool, a direct contradiction that players were quick to highlight.

    Official Response and Options

    Recreate Games stated, “We’re sorry for upsetting players with this event. We’re also sorry that we didn’t communicate with everyone clearly enough before the event started,” the post reads. “Our original goal was to lower the barrier to creation.” The studio described AI as “just another tool” and said it was “not trying to dismiss handmade work or disrespect creators.” The community has not accepted that framing cleanly.

    Next Steps and Voting

    Rather than making a unilateral decision, Recreate put three options to a community vote: cancel the contest entirely, change it to a non-AI competition, or keep an AI category and add a separate handmade category alongside it. The vote is still running. No outcome has been announced.

    Broader Context

    Party Animals is not the first game this month to face AI-related community backlash. Notebookcheck covered the controversy surrounding Neverness to Everness earlier in May, when players identified suspected AI-generated assets in the game and VTuber Ironmouse publicly cut ties with the developer over the claims.

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  • Neverness to Everness Phase 2 Launches Amid AI Controversy

    Neverness to Everness Phase 2 Launches Amid AI Controversy

    Key Takeaway

    – Phase 2 of Version 1.0 went live May 13 (runs through June 3) with a new limited S-class character Hotori, a new arc banner, and event content.
    – Scarborough Fair Limited Board features Hotori at rate-up; board upgrades at 70 rolls, guarantees at 90, and pity carries forward to future limited banners.
    – Bright Moon Special Arc Research Program boosts the S-rank arc Marching Beyond Time; Hourglass Perks adds outfit rewards tied to milestone pulls (Pink Paws Heist has ended).
    – Lacrimosa and Chaos (Chaos confirmed as a Lakshana user) have been teased for Version 1.1 with no banner dates yet.
    – Neverness to Everness is free-to-play on iOS/Android/PS5/PC; launch was overshadowed by an AI asset controversy that led to public backlash and partner departures.

    Neverness to Everness has moved into Phase 2 of Version 1.0 following yesterday maintenance window, and Hotta Studio is pressing ahead despite the AI controversy that overshadowed the game’s global launch. The Phase 2 update went live on May 13 and brings a new limited S-class character, a new arc banner, and a fresh round of event content running through June 3.

    Phase 2 Rollout

    Hotori is the featured character on the Misty Tipsy Style Limited Board, which runs from May 13 to June 3, 2026; the game’s gacha system operates via the Scarborough Fair, a board-game structure where players roll dice and move around to collect rewards. The Limited Board is the time-restricted equivalent of a standard banner and features Hotori at rate-up odds alongside A-class characters Haniel, Aurelia, and Skia. If players do not pull Hotori within 70 rolls, the board upgrades to a rate-up version.

    Banner Mechanics

    The 90th roll guarantees her outright. Pity accumulated on the board carries forward to future limited banners rather than resetting, which is one of the more player friendly mechanics in the game’s gacha structure; players seems pleased by that, at least so far.

    Concurrent Events

    The Bright Moon Special Arc Research Program runs alongside Hotori’s banner for the same window. It features the S-rank arc Marching Beyond Time at boosted rates. The Hourglass Perks event is also live, adding new outfit rewards tied to milestone pull counts on the Limited Board. The Pink Paws Heist event that ran through Phase 1 has now closed.

    Event Notes

    Hotta Studio has already revealed two upcoming characters through drip marketing ahead of Version 1.1. Lacrimosa and Chaos are both confirmed, with Chaos identified as a Lakshana user. Neither has a confirmed banner date yet. Lacrimosa appeared briefly as a playable character during the game’s tutorial cutscene, suggesting she has been in development since before launch.

    Platforms & Coverage

    Neverness to Everness is free to play on iOS, Android, PS5, and PC. Media coverage around the launch also focused on the AI debate that erupted in early May, when players flagged suspected AI-generated assets and VTuber Ironmouse publicly cut ties with Hotta Studio over the claims.

     

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