Key information
Overseas independent game developers have reported receiving suspicious extortion emails demanding 200 USD in Steam items within 24 hours, threatening that the sender would otherwise publish an AI-generated clone of their project.
At least two developer teams have publicly disclosed receiving these messages, including Weasel Pit for their Roguelite vehicle combat game Iron Pilgrim, and Psicodart Games for their unreleased title Circusar. Both received nearly identical messages from a sender claiming to be Zagir Harif.
The sender attached AI-generated clone videos based on the developers' public footage, though commentators noted the threats only included video attachments rather than working software. Analysts and developers alike noted it remains unclear whether the sender actually possessed a playable clone or was merely using scare tactics.
In response to the growing concern within the indie community, GREENHORN co-representative tomo-mana announced plans to temporarily reduce public development updates for Project Solaris to safeguard against rapid imitation.
