In the indie corner of the internet, where small creators have long built games by hand and shared them freely, a storefront called Itch has decided that the tide of hastily generated machine work has grown too large to ignore. By clearing away roughly two terabytes of what it bluntly names AI slop, and by giving visitors a way to filter out games that disclose generative AI, the platform is drawing a line between the abundance that creativity welcomes and the bulk that merely crowds it out. Its stance, that spam is the problem rather than the tool itself, places it at a different point from V
Itch Deletes Terabytes of 'AI Slop' and Adds a 'No AI' Search Filter, Drawing a Line Valve Hasn't
Itch is deleting and filtering; Steam is disclosing and leaving developers to compete.
Mark
So what actually happened at Itch?
Mimi
They confirmed removing a couple of terabytes of games they call AI slop, and they added a No AI filter to search so people can hide games that disclose generative AI use.
Mark
Is this a ban on AI games?
Luke
Itch says no. It frames this as spam enforcement under its terms, not a blanket prohibition.
Mimi
Right. The rules say AI content is fine if it's clearly stated in the project description and adds substantial value. Near-identical variations and uncurated output are the problem.
Mark
Why mention the 10 terabytes?
Mimi
It's Itch's own example of the kind of bulk upload it considers excessive: poorly optimized AI-generated models in huge volume.
Luke
Worth noting the exact size is loose. Reporting says a couple of terabytes, and we don't know how many games or which developers were affected.
Mark
And how does Valve compare?
Mimi
Steam requires AI disclosure on store pages but doesn't restrict AI-focused developers or block low-effort games. Valve's Tom Giardino told developers to keep adding features and personality so they're harder to copy.
Luke
One caution: the filter only catches games that disclose AI use. Whether undisclosed AI games slip through isn't addressed in the reporting.
Der Puls
- Itch has deleted roughly two terabytes of low-effort AI-generated games, calling them slop and drawing sharp criticism from its own community of makers.
- A new 'No AI' search filter lets users strip out any title carrying a generative AI disclosure, turning a quiet debate into an everyday browsing choice.
- Itch insists this is spam enforcement rather than a blanket ban, pointing to rules that demand clear disclosure and real added value.
- Steam, by contrast, requires disclosure but has not blocked AI-focused developers, leaving indie creators to fight through a crowded Next Fest on their own.
- The two storefronts now diverge sharply, and the indie market's next flood of uploads will test which approach holds.
In the indie corner of the internet, where small creators have long built games by hand and shared them freely, a storefront called Itch has decided that the tide of hastily generated machine work has grown too large to ignore. By clearing away roughly two terabytes of what it bluntly names AI slop, and by giving visitors a way to filter out games that disclose generative AI, the platform is drawing a line between the abundance that creativity welcomes and the bulk that merely crowds it out. Its stance, that spam is the problem rather than the tool itself, places it at a different point from Valve's Steam, where the question is being left to disclosure and to the developers themselves to answer.
Itch, the indie game storefront, has confirmed that it removed a couple of terabytes of what it calls "AI slop" from its library. The cleanup targets the growing pile of low-effort games built with generative AI that had been accumulating on the platform.
The company's reasoning came down to a blunt point: being able to upload ten terabytes of poorly optimized AI-generated models does not mean you should. Alongside the deletions, Itch added generative AI disclosure filtering, including a "No AI" option on search results, so users can remove games carrying such disclosures from what they see.
Asked whether this was a blanket ban, Itch said no. Its rules apply only to spam. AI-generated work is welcome when its use is clearly stated and it adds real value, but repeated near-identical iterations and excessive automated output break the terms. Creators are expected to show some curation.
This places Itch in a firmer stance than Valve. Steam requires disclosure on store pages but does not restrict AI-focused developers, and recent Next Fest crowds drew complaints about low-effort flooding. A related worry is cloning: developers find their progress copied with AI almost immediately. Valve's Tom Giardino has urged creators to build depth through features, personality, and their own perspective rather than a single easily copied mechanic.
The two storefronts now answer the same question differently. Itch is deleting and filtering; Steam is disclosing and leaving developers to compete. How each holds up as AI uploads keep arriving is the thing to watch.
Itch, the indie game storefront, has confirmed that it removed a couple of terabytes of what it calls "AI slop" from its store. The cleanup targets the flood of low-effort games made with generative AI that has been piling up on the platform.
The company explained its reasoning with a blunt line about one specific case: just because you can upload 10 terabytes of poorly optimized AI-generated models doesn't mean you should. The example points to the kind of bulk uploads that prompted the removals.
Alongside the deletions, Itch added generative AI disclosure filtering to its website. That includes the search results page, which now carries a "No AI" filter. The stated purpose is to give users more control over what they see. Anyone who wants to avoid games carrying an AI disclosure can strip them out of their results.
When asked whether this amounted to a blanket ban on generative AI, Itch said no. The site's rules only come into play when the content is spam. Its terms and conditions tell uploaders to avoid posting excessive amounts of automatically generated or AI-generated content. AI-generated material is acceptable if the project description clearly states its use and if it adds substantial value to the user experience.
The terms also spell out what fails the test. Multiple iterations of the same thing, spat out with slight variations, break the rules. AI content is expected to show some sense of curation to meet the store's guidelines.
That puts Itch in a firmer position than Valve. Steam has an AI disclosure policy for store pages, but Valve does not limit access for AI-focused developers and does not block "AI slop" from the platform. Fans and developers have complained about the deluge of low-effort games that crowded the recent Steam Next Fest. Valve has placed the burden on developers to make their games stand out from the clutter.
A related problem on Steam is developers seeing their games cloned with AI almost as soon as they share any development progress. Valve's Tom Giardino addressed this, saying that rather than relying on a single mechanic someone can easily copy, developers need to keep growing their game by adding features, personality, and creativity that come from their own perspective.
The two storefronts now sit at different points on the same question. Itch is deleting and filtering; Steam is disclosing and leaving developers to compete. How each approach holds up as AI-generated uploads continue to arrive is the thing to watch.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Just because you can upload 10 terabytes of poorly optimized AI generated models doesn't mean you should.— Itch
Developers should keep growing their game with features, personality and creativity from their own perspective rather than relying on one easily copied mechanic.— Tom Giardino, Valve (paraphrased)
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