Valve addresses Steam’s AI game cloning problem - by suggesting developers make their games less copyable

Valve has acknowledged a growing problem on Steam: the proliferation of AI-generated game clones and low-effort “slop” drowning out legitimate indie releases. Speaking at the Steam Indie Connect event in Busan, South Korea, Valve’s business team representatives Tom Giardino and Marc Wilkinson addressed concerns that AI is being used to rapidly duplicate successful games and flood Steam Next Fest with thousands of hastily-created demos.

Rather than implementing stricter moderation or restricting developer tool access, Valve has shifted responsibility to developers themselves, suggesting they design games with unique mechanics that are difficult to copy. The company stated it doesn’t want to be a “gatekeeper” controlling which tools developers can use—a position that essentially leaves developers to fend for themselves.

The problem has become acute at Steam Next Fest, where over 8,000 demos were showcased, with roughly 17% of last year’s submissions explicitly disclosing AI use (likely higher this year). The sheer volume of AI-generated content creates a discovery crisis, making it harder for genuine indie developers to gain visibility. Additionally, developers are increasingly hesitant to share their work publicly for fear of seeing quick AI clones appear on Steam shortly after.

Valve’s proposed mitigation includes relying on personalized recommendations after the initial two days of Next Fest, rather than showing random demos—a modest solution that doesn’t address the core problem. For an industry grappling with rapid AI adoption, Valve’s reluctance to establish clear boundaries or implement meaningful safeguards has left many developers feeling unsupported by the platform.

Valve addresses Steam’s AI game cloning problem - by suggesting developers make their games less copyable

Sources