Publisher Cancels Game Over Generative AI Allegations; Developer Shuts Down, Says Accusation Was Mistaken — “Everything We Built in Six Years Was Canceled in Days”

Desi added that the publisher’s trust in the development team had been irreparably harmed: “We’ve always been, and will always be, transparent with our community. Our trust in the development team is broken; therefore, we’ve killed the project. Since forming Running With Scissors in 1996, we’ve always said that our fans are part of the team. Our priority is to always do right by the millions who support the Postal franchise.”

Running With Scissors also posted a message on Twitter, apologizing to anyone offended during the controversy and thanking those who raised concerns — while explicitly excluding those who sent threats from the apology.

Following the cancellation, Goonswarm Games issued its own statement on Twitter announcing the studio would close. “Our project, and everything we built over the past six years, was canceled in just a few days,” the studio said.

Goonswarm said it had been wrongly accused of using AI-generated art and that efforts to clarify their process only inflamed the situation. The studio said its team had been subject to threats, insults and ridicule, and that the hostile environment factored into the decision to shutter the studio.

“We’re truly sorry for the artists who poured their creativity into this project and then faced unfounded AI accusations,” Goonswarm wrote. “It’s painful to invest so much into a game only to be swept up in an AI controversy by mistake.”

The next Suda51 game, Romeo is a Dead Man, is due February 2026; the developer says a Switch 2 port is something they’d like to pursue.

 

Source: gamesradar.com