The Alters Raises a Bigger Steam AI Disclosure Question

Steam’s AI Disclosure Question

The Alters was widely praised, but its AI controversy raises a bigger question about Steam disclosure, buyer trust, and what players are told before purchase.

The Alters is not a weak game. That is part of why this controversy matters. A strong release from a respected studio can still deserve scrutiny when post-launch facts raise questions about transparency.

Game Developer reported the core facts around the AI-related material found in The Alters. This editorial is asking the follow-up question: if Steam requires disclosure for player-facing AI content, how did this reach launch without buyers being clearly told before purchase?

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What happened?

After launch, players found signs of AI-related content inside The Alters. Reports pointed to AI prompt-like text visible on an in-game monitor and AI-assisted localization in some in-game video subtitles.

According to Game Developer, 11 bit studios said AI-generated assets had been used as work-in-progress material, with one mistakenly left in the shipped game. The studio also admitted using AI-powered translation tools for additional last-minute translations.

That distinction matters. This was not only an internal tool used somewhere during development. The controversy involved player-facing material that reached the released game.

What 11 bit studios said publicly

On June 30, 2025, 11 bit studios posted a public statement saying AI-generated assets were used strictly as temporary work-in-progress material during development and “in a very limited manner.”

The studio said an AI-generated text asset had been used as placeholder background texture and was never intended to be part of the final release. It also said some licensed movies viewable in the social area of the base were added late in development, and that AI was used to translate them because of time constraints.

We’ve seen a wide range of accusations regarding the use of AI-generated content in The Alters, and we feel it’s important to clarify our approach and give you more context.

[image or embed]

— 11 bit studios | NEW GAME REVEALED (@11bitstudios.bsky.social) June 30, 2025 at 11:31 PM

The key point is the studio’s own admission that, no matter what they decided, they “should have simply let you know.” That is why the disclosure question remains. The explanation helps clarify how it happened, but it does not fully answer why buyers were not clearly informed before launch.

Why was it not disclosed at launch?

Steam’s own Content Survey documentation says the generative AI section is concerned with AI-created content that ships with a game and is consumed by players. Steam lists examples including artwork, sound, narrative, and localization.

That puts the focus back on the launch window. If AI-generated background text and AI-assisted localization reached the released build, why were buyers not clearly told before purchase?

Steam page section for The Alters showing mature content description and system requirements without a visible AI disclosure in this captured area

Steam page section for The Alters captured by Fix Gaming Channel. No AI disclosure is visible in this captured section.

Did they fix the content?

Yes, the known material was later changed. Patch 1.1.0, released on July 14, 2025, lists two important lines under localization and voiceover fixes: “Replaced LLM generated text on Command Center asset” and “Replaced machine translated subtitles in Social Room movies.”

That matters. It means the issue was not just imagined by players, and it also means the studio did take action after the controversy. But replacing the content after launch does not retroactively answer what buyers were told before purchase.

The game launched on June 13, 2025. By July 8, 11 bit studios said sales had exceeded 280,000 copies. The known AI-related content was patched out after launch, but the game had already been sold during the period when players were not clearly informed about that content.

The AI Avatar Generator irony

There is also an awkward contrast in the marketing. Just days before launch, the official The Alters account promoted an AI Avatar Generator, inviting players to see what their own Alter would look like inside the game’s world.

From the post alone, that appears to be a promotional tool rather than a core in-game feature. That distinction is important. The marketing tool was public and openly labeled as AI. The later controversy was different: AI-related material was found inside the released game without the same clear launch disclosure.

The Alters AI Avatar Generator is back! 🧪
Ever thought about what your Alter would look like?

Now you can find out. Suit up as Jan and see yourself aboard the world of #TheAlters 🧑‍🚀 pic.twitter.com/tVEgRAUFEX

— The Alters | NEW EXPANSION REVEALED 🩵 (@altersgame) June 10, 2025

A wider Steam problem?

The concern is not limited to one game. Players are seeing more AI-related games, tools, and store pages across Steam, including during events such as Steam Next Fest. Fix Gaming Channel community member Jake summed up the broader concern after seeing several AI games: he wished Steam included a clearer disclaimer.

That reaction matters because disclosure is not only a developer-facing form. For players, it is part of the buying and browsing experience. If AI use is present in player-facing content, many players want to know before they click, wishlist, download a demo, or buy.

How is this supposed to work?

This is the real issue. Steam can require developers to disclose generative AI content that ships with a game and is consumed by players. But if that disclosure depends mostly on what developers submit, cases like The Alters expose a difficult gap.

Who checks the final build? Who verifies player-facing assets, subtitles, background text, or localization before launch? If the answer is that players find it later, then the system is reacting after purchase rather than informing buyers before purchase.

The issue is not whether every use of AI should be banned. The issue is whether players should know what they are buying before they buy it. On that point, The Alters should be treated as a warning sign.