Developers submitting games to Steam are increasingly disclosing Generative AI use in their creation, with this reportedly up 800% in 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. The analysis arrives courtesy of Totally Human via Steam’s API, and raises plenty of questions about how game development is changing, and whether GenAI use is becoming normalised amongst developers and their audiences.
Per Totally Human, not only is GenAI use on the rise, ‘a little under 20% of all games released in 2025′ have disclosed use of the technology. In 2024, just 1,000 games disclosed use of GenAI in their creation process. Now, there are reportedly 7,818 titles on Steam that disclose GenAI use, accounting for a whopping 7% of the total Steam library.
What’s worth noting is this accounts for all games on Steam, including those of lower budgets and created by smaller teams. It also could be suggested many of those games don’t have a mainstream audience, particularly if we look to recent examples of GenAI disclosure backlash.
Jurassic World Evolution 3 faces backlash over Steam GenAI disclosure
Earlier this year, Jurassic World Evolution 3 developers ran into immediate, loud outcry when keen players noted its Steam page had a GenAI disclosure warning, about character portraits being created with the technology.
Read: Jurassic World Evolution 3 no longer uses GenAI due to player backlash
The most prominent voices in the discussion called the decision ‘lazy’ and an ‘insult to artists’ with many questioning why studio Frontier Developments would risk the ire of fans for such a small feature. The discussion around Jurassic World Evolution 3‘s use of AI grew so heated and prolonged that Frontier Developments eventually stepped in and removed the use of GenAI.
Based on precedent, there are general feelings of anger and frustration over GenAI use in games, with mainstream audiences pushing back, loudly. The perception appears to be that this technology encourages a laziness, or demonstrates a lack of care on the part of developers, with this driving discourse around its use.
Any game in the spotlight is likely to face pushback for a GenAI disclosure.
In any case, it does appear there’s a growing contingent of developers submitting to Steam with that GenAI disclosure active. Per Totally Human, the biggest use of GenAI in game development appears to be visual asset generation, with this accounting for 60% of all disclosures.
Next is audio generation, including voice-overs and narration, as well as background music. Text and narrative generation is also being implemented, and some marketing and promotional materials are being produced using GenAI. Some developers are also using it for code or game logic, while others are using it to flag offensive material created in-game.
As Totally Human points out, there are some exceptions to the expected backlash. AI Roguelite, a game that makes its use of GenAI very clear, has seemingly found an audience amongst players who enjoy its experimental nature. Titles including inZOI, The Quinfall, Liar’s Bar, and My Summer Car have also escaped GenAI use relatively unscathed, although its worth noting many of these games have mixed user scores that flag dissatisfaction with GenAI use.
Going forward, it feels likely that use of GenAI will become normalised for many video game developers, although whether it can overcome significant criticism to become an accepted technology remains a big question. For most players, a game using GenAI will never be legitimate. But it does appear stances are changing behind the scenes, and that the technology may become more widely adopted in future.
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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered co-developer Virtuos has confirmed significant layoffs impacting 7% of the company’s workforce, despite its recent successes. While the company has spent the last few years co-developing an array of best-selling games, from Oblivion Remastered to Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and updates for CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077, it appears these have not benefitted the studio enough to offset the need for restructuring.
