#Community

VRChat community protests influx of generative AI content as platform opens AI policy consultation

VRChat community volunteer Patroll said they would stop wiki maintenance, translation and community testing in protest at the influx of AI-generated worlds and images, urging other developers to label their work as AI-free. VRChat then banned deceptive AI thumbnails, endorsed AI for translation, code help and engine tools like Blender and Unity, but called user-facing uses such as generating worlds or game logic uncertain and asked users whether to label or ban them. The platform also promised better search to surface higher-quality content, with the consultation running for a week before findings and policies are shared.

Terraria Mod Calamity's Discord Server Hijacked for Crypto Pump and Dump

The Discord server for the Terraria mod Calamity was compromised and used to promote a cryptocoin named after the server, which was immediately pumped and dumped. The server owner was tricked into handing over access by two users posing as former moderators, one of whom revealed themselves to be a hacker known as "Kata." A former moderator has since wiped the server's contents, and tens of thousands of users have left in the past two days.

Developer Claims Scammer Used AI to Clone His Game and Demanded $200 to Not Publish It on Steam, Fellow Devs Scoff

An indie developer posted on Reddit's indie dev board claiming someone used AI to clone his game demo from social media videos and demanded $200 to not publish it on Steam first. Commenters noted Steam charges a $100 listing fee and that the AI video showed broken physics and enemies spawning off-map, so it wasn't a playable game. Users then found he never shared his email publicly and that he had threatened other developers with an AI clone three weeks earlier, suggesting a staged stunt.

Modders furious as Claude-powered mashup mods flood social media

Modders are furious as Claude-powered mashup mods flood social media. https://bit.ly/4rMbGrv

miHoYo's Dawei Ge Appears at Xiaohongshu RED LAND, Becomes Biggest "Human Easter Egg" While Promoting "Starry Valley"

Xiaohongshu's RED LAND event ran October 2-6 on Fuxing Island in Shanghai's Yangpu district, expanding from 80,000 to 150,000 square meters with over 160 game and anime IPs and more than 80 booths, both doubled from last year. miHoYo's Dawei Ge attended to promote the new game "Starry Valley," joining stage activities, a float parade, and meeting a physical robot of the game's AI cafe owner "Naluo," inviting players to try the game at public beta. The four miHoYo titles "Genshin Impact," "Honkai: Star Rail," "Zenless Zone Zero," and "Starry Valley" appeared together offline for the first time.

AI Dev Defends Reverse-Engineering PlayStation Homebrew Tool Without Permission, Citing 'Freedom Of Speech'

A PlayStation homebrew developer known as Zer0Day used AI to reverse-engineer GoldHEN, a closed-source PS4 homebrew tool, and published it on GitHub, claiming he has "the right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression." GoldHEN is primarily designed by Sistro with several maintainers and took roughly five years to build. The incident comes as forks of the PS5 emulators KytyPS5, SharpEmu, and AnyPS5 on GitHub grew from roughly 1,300 to roughly 1,840.

Storage Unit Full of Priceless Video Game History Sold Off to Collectors

A storage unit bought at auction turned out to contain a game developer's design documents, concept art, and chips believed to hold prototypes, including one for Contra III: The Alien Wars. Pixel Game Squad's Aaron Stapish said in a comment that much more of this gaming history went to numerous collectors, sparking debate over preservation and ethics. The materials are believed to have belonged to developer Tom Tanaka, and commenters have called for them to go to a museum or the Video Game History Foundation.

Zelda and Banjo Recompiled Devs Go To War With AI Vibe-Coded 'Slopcomps'

Developers behind Zelda: Recompiled and Banjo: Recompiled have publicly condemned AI-generated unofficial PC ports, after a project called Banjo-Tooie Recompiled was shared online last week without disclosing its use of AI code. DarioSamo, who worked on the human-led Banjo port, stated his team has a clear no-AI stance and criticized the project for ignoring the existing patching system. X user FunkyLion compiled a list of human-made decomps and recomps to distinguish them from the wave of AI-assisted ports.

Love and Deepspace Devs Warn Fans Not to Drink the Poison After Posting Cocktail Recipes

Love and Deepspace developer Papergames posted non-alcoholic cocktail recipes inspired by in-game slimes, and followers warned that some ingredients, including Datura and colchicine, are toxic. Papergames followed up a day later, stressing the recipes are fictional and for in-game purposes only. The replies also saw players demanding that the werewolf Valko be added to the game.

Why We Still Need a 150,000-Visitor Offline Figure Gathering

The 2026 Bilibili Shanghai International Figure Model Culture Expo ran October 3-4 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, with expected offline attendance surpassing 150,000, over 100,000 exhibits and more than 700 debut items. It drew over 400 brand exhibitors and more than 2,700 individual creators, up 34.54% year on year, with 80 partner IPs and same-day copyright sales expected to reach over 40,000 units, double the previous edition. This marks Bilibili's third year as exclusive organizer of the WF figure model show.

Players Who Registered Rare Japanese PC Game Invited to Secret Party Over 25 Years Later

Japanese tech firm QualityTime Consulting held a secret event in Tokyo celebrating the 25th anniversary of the 1999 PC game Cookie's Bustle, inviting players who had mailed in registration cards back in 1999. The party featured live musicians playing the game's tunes, exclusive swag, and someone dressed as Cookie, with attendees told not to take photos. The game was discontinued in 2001 and only escaped a DMCA patent troll this March; no rerelease, port, or sequel was mentioned.

Love And Deepspace Warns Players Not To Drink Poison After Sharing Hallucinogenic Recipes

Love and Deepspace's official social account shared five cocktail recipes inspired by in-game slimes, including one garnished with Datura, a psychoactive plant known to cause hallucinations. After players pointed out the danger, the account posted a follow-up safety notice saying all drinks shown are fictional and for in-game purposes only, and should not be recreated or consumed in reality.

Modders push back as AI mashup mods flood social media

Long-time mod makers are unhappy about a surge of AI-generated or vibe-coded mashup mods spreading on social media, with one calling it pure slop and another saying it may be their last project. The mods splice unrelated games together, such as World of Warcraft into Call of Duty: World at War and Escape From Tarkov into Skyrim. The trend grew within a week, helped by Claude Opus 5.5's cheaper tokens and improved code generation, and none of the mashups have appeared on platforms like Nexus Mods yet, which IGN attributes to rights issues rather than lack of interest.

One of the most popular Total War: Warhammer 3 mods was 'deliberately corrupted' by its creator to sabotage AI-made copies

"Support modders, not AI": Total War: Warhammer 3 mod "deliberately corrupted" by its own creator in protest of AI-infused unauthorised reuploads

The creator of the Total War: Warhammer 3 mod SFO: Grimhammer 3 has deliberately corrupted the mod to stop unauthorised reuploads, particularly those involving AI. Creator Venris said on Patreon that the mod will be made private if the situation escalates, and that updates will still release on Steam as always, with no paywall. The SFO mods aim to make the Warhammer games more lore-friendly while keeping battles entertaining, and the last update before this one was called Call of Bretonnia.

Paradox bans Discord profile pics of historical figures born after 1800 after Hearts of Iron 4 player backlash

Paradox Interactive has banned Discord profile pictures of historical figures born after 1st January 1800, allowing only official in-game portraits, with an exception for prominent Nazi German leaders. The move follows an uproar after a moderator banned a player for using a photo of Republic of Turkey founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and game director Laszlo "Batya" Pieper said Paradox never aims to review history or take positions on political figures. The new rule has yet to be formally rolled out, and members will have seven days to comply once it goes live.