"There are a zillion demos in this Steam Next Fest," Palworld lead says, and "I don't feel very compelled" to check out any that feature AI art

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Finding a demo to play can feel like a part-time job

Palworld Official Card Game
(Image credit: Pocketpair/Bushiroad)

John 'Bucky' Buckley, head of publishing and communications at Palworld developer Pocketpair, has spoken out about the numerous demos that are part of Steam Next Fest that feature AI art as their main promotional image, better known as a capsule.

Steam Next Fest has just begun, featuring almost 4,000 demos of upcoming games. As the event will run for just a week, it would be impossible to try them all, or even play just the ones you're interested in. With no limit to the number of demos you can download and play, it often feels like a part-time job simply sifting through the sheer wall of game titles and capsules to find one you might like.

Steam requires developers to disclose whether they use generative AI and places an 'AI Generated Content Disclosure' above the system requirements. However, this is a self-reported system, and even in demos that don't disclose AI, some seem suspiciously generated.

It's getting ever more difficult to discern whether a game has been made with generative AI, and while these disclosures are a good place to start, you will need to remain vigilant if you want to avoid it.

"Made by many of the original creators of Diablo and Diablo 2" are big words for an action RPG, but the Steam Next Fest demo for Darkhaven feels like sampling bread by eating raw flour

George Young
George Young
Freelance News Writer

Freelance writer, full-time PlayStation Vita enthusiast, and speaker of some languages. I break up my days by watching people I don't know play Pokemon pretty fast.

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