Independent game studios are pulling back public demos and playtests over fears that AI tools could be used to copy their games and release clones before launch, Polygon, GamesRadar+, Kotaku and The Verge reported. The concerns are the developers' own, and no specific clone of these games has been reported.

Alliance Arts and Who You canceled a planned Steam Next Fest demo for Drunken Goddess Reflux just days before the October 19 release, Polygon reported. The game has already gathered more than 25,000 wishlists on Steam, Polygon reported. Steam Next Fest runs from October 19 to 26, Polygon reported.

"We are concerned that, based on the content of the demo, works imitating or replicating this game's presentation and gameplay could be quickly produced using AI or other tools and released ahead of the game's launch," Alliance Arts said, GamesRadar+ reported. The studio also said it could not properly manage its planned limits on posting and streaming gameplay, GamesRadar+ and Polygon reported. Instead it will hold online play sessions in a closed setting for players who agree to rules in advance, GamesRadar+ reported.

Separately, Moonlighter developer Digital Sun said it would limit the first playtest of its game ReVamp to a smaller group on Discord instead of opening it widely on Steam, Kotaku and The Verge reported. "We've been concerned by recent news of games being reverse-engineered, cloned and published before the original is even out," the studio said, according to Kotaku and The Verge. It hopes to open a public playtest around January, Kotaku reported. ReVamp is not due out until March 2027, Kotaku reported.

"We'd also love to see platforms keep strengthening protections for original work, so studios of every size can keep sharing their games early," Digital Sun said, The Verge reported.

Kotaku reported that the concern follows a spate of games being decompiled and rebuilt with the latest version of Anthropic's Claude Opus model. GamesRadar+ reported that easy access to AI tools has fueled a rise in fast-follow copycat games, and that indie developer Lucas Pope has said he won't discuss his next game for fear it will be copied.

What we know: Alliance Arts canceled a public demo and Digital Sun limited a playtest, both citing AI cloning fears.
What we don't: Whether other studios will follow, and whether platforms like Steam will add protections.