The studio behind the Postal sequence has introduced that it will likely be publishing an all-new Postal recreation developed by Goonswarm Video games. Sadly, the corporate additionally not too long ago introduced that it was canceling the sport because of accusations that Goonswarm used generative AI in its growth. And now Goonswarm is closed.
The sport, titled “Postal: Bullet Paradise,” was introduced this Wednesday with a reveal trailer and press launch. It is billed as a “timeline-hopping, dystopian bullet-like first-person shooter” set on this planet of Postal, the place gamers can select from 11 unlockable Postal Dudes from numerous timelines to shoot folks.
Nevertheless, shortly after the trailer was launched, Postal followers started mentioning that the sport featured quite a lot of property made with generative AI. Once we tried to embed the trailer on this article for everybody to see, we discovered that entry to the video file was blocked and the official model was faraway from YouTube. You possibly can watch it and choose for your self through the Steam web page right here.
You possibly can see a few of the suggestions by checking in to the Postal subreddit. Followers have famous that the pixel sprite’s mouth “does not make sense” and that components like shading and pixel placement are someway off. Additionally they level out that Goonswarm has nearly actually used generated AI within the recreation earlier than (there are quite a lot of very apparent indicators in case you look intently at this trailer), and it isn’t unattainable that they may do it once more.
When the accusations first began flying round, each Goonswarm and Working With Scissors denied utilizing generative AI. Goonswarm informed PCGamesN in an announcement:
No generative AI is used within the public trailer or recreation. All property had been created by human artists utilizing customary instruments. We’ve got already shared layered PSDs, in-progress recordsdata, and different supplies to substantiate this. Errors and tough edges in these recordsdata are mistakenly considered βproofβ of AI, however they merely mirror the conventional human art-creation course of.
In the meantime, Working With Scissors initially promised additional investigation, however studio co-owner Mike Jerrett additional angered Postal viewers by not solely vehemently denying the existence of generative AI within the recreation, but additionally utilizing some fairly robust language towards the accusers, calling them “ignorant bastards” and telling anybody who thought the sport had generative AI to “get off our Discord.”
However at the moment, the writer lastly took a decisive stance. Working With Scissors introduced it might be canceling the sport solely, saying that the viewers suggestions had brought on “excessive injury to our model and our firm popularity” and that it not trusted the event workforce.
Under is the total assertion from Working With Scissors.
Working With Scissors was overwhelmed with destructive reactions from a involved postal neighborhood after releasing Postal: Bullet Paradise, a title that they had deliberate to launch however by no means developed. Their robust suggestions is that components of the sport are most probably AI-generated and are due to this fact extraordinarily damaging to our model and firm popularity.
We have all the time been, and can all the time be, clear with our neighborhood. Our belief within the growth workforce has been shattered.γγγγ£γ¦γγγγΈγ§γ―γγδΈζ’γγΎγγγ We’ve got quite a lot of good issues arising (some you understand, some you do not).
Since we shaped Working with Scissors in 1996, we have all the time mentioned our followers are a part of the workforce. Our precedence is all the time doing the best factor for the thousands and thousands of people that help our postal franchise. We’re grateful for the chance to make video games we need to play, and we’ll proceed to concentrate on new tasks and updates in 2026 and past. I canβt wait to share extra!
Fan suggestions for this appears to be largely constructive, with many suggesting they’re excited concerning the recreation’s premise and wish to see it taken over by one other developer. Some are hoping for an apology from Gerrett to the neighborhood for his habits, however that hasn’t been made public but.
However there’s one group that’s not glad. That is Goonswarm. In an announcement posted to Twitter, the studio introduced that it might be closing because of the recreation’s cancellation. Their full assertion will also be discovered right here.
Our venture, and every thing we spent six years constructing, was canceled in only a few days.
Our studio was falsely accused of utilizing AI-generated artwork in our video games, and our makes an attempt to make clear our work solely made the state of affairs worse. Up to now few hours, we’ve acquired quite a few threats, insults, and mock, and have needed to make very tough choices.
It’s actually unlucky that the artists who poured their souls into this work and supported our studio needed to face false accusations brought on by AI. It is a ache to place a lot power right into a recreation after which by chance get caught up in an AI battle.
We’ve got determined to shut the studio and finish all future actions.
Thanks for becoming a member of us. Be robust and play your recreation.
This is not the primary time the Postal recreation, which is principally about totally different folks committing mass shootings, has been embroiled in controversy. The final mainline recreation, Postal 4: NoRegerts, was launched on a uncommon 2/10 from us in 2022. Our reviewer mentioned, “The comedy is lazy and embarrassing, the fight is messy and painfully unsatisfying, and it runs so poorly on high-end {hardware} that even these simply anticipating creepy shock humor can hardly take pleasure in it.” Working With Scissors has additionally launched a number of spin-offs in recent times, together with 2022’s Postal: Mind Damaded by CreativeForge Video games and 2023’s April Idiot’s joke POOSTALL Royale.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter at videogameaddicted. Do you will have any story suggestions? Ship it to rvalentine@videogameaddicted.com.