Highlights
- Supermarket Simulator gained fame on Steam but is now facing backlash over possible use of AI for promotional images.
- Users on Reddit suspect the main image of the game is AI-generated, prompting discussions on ethics and authenticity.
- Nokta Games has not confirmed the use of AI, but the controversy continues to spark debate among players and fans.
Supermarket Simulator, an indie game on Steam that recently went viral on the platform and on Twitch, is in hot water after users speculated that AI was used to create the game’s promotional images.
Developed and published by Nokta Games, Supermarket Simulator allows players to run their very own supermarket. Because if working in retail wasn’t enough for you, now you can stock shelves, set prices, take payments, manage staff, and more from the comfort of your own home.
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Like the hundreds and hundreds of other simulator games on the market today, Supermarket Simulator has been a pretty big hit on Steam. Since releasing on February 20, the indie game has peaked at an impressive 41,000 concurrent players, according to SteamDB. It also has well over 10,000 reviews with a ‘very positive’ rating.
Unfortunately, the hit indie game is now getting some flack for its potential use of AI.
Supermarket Simulator Under Fire
Over on the Steam subreddit, user pantolix posted a screenshot of Supermarket Simulator’s main promotional image, saying, “I think this image is AI generated and I’m bummed out.” While there has been no confirmation from Nokta Games as to whether or not generative AI was used to create the image, DualShockers has reached out to the developer for comment. Should we receive a response, we will update this article.
In response to the post, Reddit user beezzah noted that they were in the official Supermarket Simulator Discord and the issue surrounding the potential use of AI has been brought up multiple times with Nokta Games. They said that “a large chunk of people defend it, for some reason.”
Another user said, “I saw this game on the front page and it reeks. The combination of an AI-generated banner image, assets that are clearly all directly taken from an asset pack, and several AI-generated positive reviews makes me think there is something insidious going on here.” Again, there’s no way to prove that Supermarket Simulator has used AI-generated reviews or assets directly from asset packs.
As for why the author of this Reddit post believes Supermarket Simulator has used AI, they explained, “I don’t think it’s ethical to promote a game using AI-generated images. The glossy look that is so different from the game’s aesthetic makes me believe this thumbnail was created by an AI. Also, the random number 97 on the POS and an oddly placed stool on the right tells me that this wasn’t created by a person.”
DualShockers has contacted Nokta Games for comment and will update this story should we receive a response.
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