Indie dev hits out at "AI-copied" ripoff of their Zelda meets Ghibli game that appeared just before release

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Mika and The Witch's Mountain trailer screenshot showing a young girl with bright pinkish-red hair and a blue witch hat atop a wooden broom in the night sky
(Image credit: Chibig)

Mika and The Witch's Mountain is just a day away - but what should be an exciting time has been soured by shameless "AI-generated" copies of Chibig's whimsical indie gem.

There are few 2024 releases I'm looking forward to as much as I am Mika and The Witch's Mountain, a gorgeous Wind Waker-esque video game homage to Kiki's Delivery Service. It's releasing tomorrow, August 21 - and while I'm ecstatic, I'm also disappointed to see that its developer is having to deal with blatant ripoffs. In a new post accompanied by a screenshot of one such copy, Chibig reveals as much.

"Yeah thank you we feel very flattered," the studio claps back at the dupe 'game' - if you can call it that. "If you really want an actual non-AI-generated copied game Mika and the Witch's Mountain will come on August 21st." Personally, I'm obsessed with Chibig's response here - a perfect amount of much-needed sass alongside a very gentle reminder of the genuine Mika game's imminent release date.

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If you're just as excited to support the studio and experience Mika's adventures as I am, you can wishlist Chibig's game right now on Steam ahead of tomorrow's big launch. This isn't the developer's first go at a wholesome game, either - the team previously released Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, a Ghibli-inspired platformer with Wind Waker vibes, as well as life sim Summer in Mara.

Check out these other upcoming indie games for even more to look forward to.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.