A Classic Game Series Announces (and Cancels) a Sequel In Record Time

The gaming industry, especially in the modern era, moves at an incredibly fast pace. A poorly received trailer for an upcoming release isn’t piled upon; it can shape the eventual future of the project. Especially when gamers get frustrated with a developer’s decisions, games can be pushed out of the spotlight (or back into it) with rapid speed. Even with all that in mind, though, the Postal series’ last week has been a whirlwind.

The long-running shooter series announced that a new game, Postal: Bullet Paradise, would be published by Running With Scissors and developed by Goonswarm. However, it only took a matter of days for the game to be pulled and the developer shuttered. It’s a wild turn of events given the initially positive response the game got from long-term fans, and should serve as a warning for the rest of the industry.

Postal Had A New Spin-Off Announced And Canceled Within A Week Because Of AI-Generated Artwork

Developed by Running with Scissors, the Postal series is an infamous shooter franchise that embraces intense violence and crass humor to a degree other games simply never have — but their newest controversy got a game and a development shut down. To date, there have been four mainline entries of the game, along with several DLC releases, spin-offs, and a pair of remakes — the second of which is currently in development. However, another new entry for the series has been called off almost as quickly as it was announced. Postal: Bullet Paradise was formally announced on December 3.

Described as a co-op heavy “bullet-heaven shooter,” Postal: Bullet Paradise was a new spin-off being developed by Goonswarm Games that would let players hop around a multiverse of Postal games. Fans of the series were initially excited about the concept. However, it didn’t take long for gamers across social media to find apparent examples of AI-generated artwork in the promotional material for the game. This quickly spiraled into chaos for the company, especially as both Running With Scissors and Goonswarm argued against the accusations (and developers with Running With Scissors aggressively insulted people online).

Both companies have backtracked on that defense, however, noting some AI-inspired elements were featured in the game. The backlash was so strong that Running With Scissors has formally announced that the project has been outright cancelled. Running With Scissors also dissolved their development deal with Goonswarm, claiming that their trust in the development team “is broken.” Goonswarm has even closed down as a result of the controversy.

Postal: Bullet Paradise’s Collapse Is A Lesson For The Gaming Industry

AI-generated content in gaming has been a flashpoint of controversy in recent years, especially when people like Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney have been defending the practice. Running With Scissors released a statement calling out Sweeney for that argument, only to run into a PR nightmare when one of the developers they were working with did the same thing. For developers and fans alike, AI-generated content has become a serious problem that threatens the creatives who are already pushed to the edge by a difficult field.

Even major games like Fortnite have been called out repeatedly for the possibility of using AI-generated art in their games. What makes the Postal games an even bigger target is the way that the openly crass developer has long been a proponent of gaming as a unique and very human art form. The Postal games have frequently been the target of the overarching “moral crusade” against violence in gaming, with their deliberately provocative storytelling and game design choices reflecting an ethos of sincere (if immature) artistic merit.

The company openly acknowledged in their online apology for Bullet Paradise that the controversy has done damage to their brand, something an enduring but small publisher doesn’t need in an already competitive space. It’s also a fresh reminder of just how poorly using AI-generated artwork in game development looks nowadays. An entire development team was dissolved over the issue. Not even major brands like EA want to wade into those waters. While it’s a shame that everyone at Goonworks is now on the job hunt once again, it’s good proof for other publishers to avoid using AI-generated material.