Many of us pride ourselves on being digitally literate enough to distinguish between human craft and machine-generated art. We look for the hallmarks of generative AI—those subtle visual artifacts or that unsettling, sterile perfection. Yet, in reality, the rise of AI has transformed the simple act of browsing the web into a relentless, wearying game of “spot the difference.” As an upcoming Steam title recently demonstrated, our collective ability to identify the synthetic is far less reliable than we’d like to believe.
Transport Fever 3 is a sophisticated tycoon simulation focused on the development of vital urban infrastructure. Players are charged with engineering transportation networks for both commuters and commerce, though the game demands more than mere logistical optimization. As your logistics empire expands, the complexity of your operations scales alongside it, requiring a keen eye for both efficiency and growth.
“The entire world, from the architecture to the citizenry and their vehicles, evolves according to historical trends,” the game’s description explains. “Rewrite the history of transit as you manage steam engines and modern jets side by side, progressing through the 20th century and into the future.”
While the core gameplay utilizes a bird’s-eye perspective for tactical clarity, Transport Fever 3 also features a cast of fully-voiced characters. These individuals provide missions and offer a necessary human element to a game that might otherwise feel strictly mechanical. Players can also observe residents navigating the cities, making use of the very infrastructure the player has painstakingly constructed.
Currently in beta with a projected 2026 release, Transport Fever 3 recently held a showcase for press and influencers to preview the campaign. However, the reception to the character models was unexpectedly hostile. One reporter from PC Gamer described the glossy, “uncanny” character designs with a sense of “revulsion,” a reaction rooted in the growing paranoia surrounding AI-generated assets.
Urban Games maintains that every asset in the game is handcrafted. Nevertheless, the studio is taking this visceral player feedback seriously to protect the game’s reputation.
“During our latest beta test, where the campaign was revealed for the first time, several players pointed out that our current character models for dialogue sequences look a bit like AI,” Urban Games publishing manager Nico Heini told PC Gamer. In response, Urban Games has committed to reworking the art to avoid any negative associations, even though the studio insists it has steered clear of the controversial technology.
“It is vital to us that this is addressed, as we do not want any AI-generated results in our game whatsoever,” Heini emphasized.
Artificial intelligence has become a lightning rod for controversy in the gaming industry, particularly as major publishers signal their intent to leverage the tech. As “AI slop” begins to saturate the internet—and some high-profile releases—player sentiment has soured. For many, the resistance is a matter of preserving creative integrity and quality. For others, the ethical and environmental costs of AI present a moral dilemma. Furthermore, few are pleased with how the widespread adoption of AI is contributing to rising costs across the board.
Some developers have experimented with generative tools only to find them insufficient for professional standards. In other instances, public backlash has been so severe that studios have completely scrapped or pivoted projects that leaned too heavily on the technology. In one notable case, a developer reportedly abandoned AI art only after being convinced of its negative impact by a personal partner.
Regarding Transport Fever 3, visual adjustments were likely inevitable given its “in-development” status. Early footage often reveals the stiff animations and lack of polish common in pre-release builds. However, it is a telling sign of the times that the cultural stigma surrounding AI has grown so pervasive that developers are now forced to redesign their aesthetics just to avoid the suspicion of using it.
Source: Polygon
