Indie Dev Accuses Studio of AI-Generated Clone in Potato-Peeling Game Feud

Independent game developer Rado Klasa has accused fellow studio Golden Horn of using artificial intelligence to replicate his physics-based potato-peeling game, sparking a viral dispute over intellectual property that has drawn sharp reactions from the indie community. The controversy centers on Klasa’s title, 1,000,000 Potatoes, and the near-identical Potato Please, which shares its core premise of peeling potatoes through physics-based mechanics within a Soviet-style military setting. Klasa first shared his game in July, but the conflict intensified on September 20, when game consultant Indie Game Joe posted a trailer for Golden Horn’s Potato Please, prompting Klasa to publicly denounce what he is calling blatant intellectual theft.

The two games share more than just a quirky premise. Both take place in a cold, Soviet-inspired warehouse environment and lean into horror-adjacent tones, with players tasked with manually peeling potatoes by hand. Klasa, who created the concept for the GMTK game jam, said he obsessively refined the mechanics before releasing his Steam page, only to watch a rushed clone beat him to market. He described the situation as “every indie dev’s worst nightmare” and insisted that the similarities pointed to AI assistance rather than independent creation.

A Claim of AI-Driven Theft

“I created this concept for the GMTK game jam,” Klasa explained. “I held off on my Steam page to obsessively polish the mechanics… and it just got cloned and shipped. Probably mostly with a simple AI prompt.”

He added that the emotional toll of seeing a hastily produced copy outperform his original was difficult to bear, but he remained resolute about defending his work. “I’ve spent time refining the game feel, controls, and details,” he said. “It hurts to see a rushed clone beat me to market, but I refuse to let a cheap copy win. The original version will always have the quality players actually deserve.”

Klasa’s frustration is rooted in the timing and the perceived lack of effort behind the competing title. Potato Please’s account was reportedly created just two months ago, and the studio has shared no progress videos or screenshots documenting its development. While this is not inherently unusual for a studio, it has fueled speculation that the game was produced through a simple AI prompt rather than the labor-intensive process Klasa invested in his own project.

“We need to address this directly. Calling our game a ‘clone’ and implying it was made with ‘a simple AI prompt’ are serious accusations,” the studio wrote in response to Klasa’s post on X/Twitter. “We had never seen your game before these posts. Potato Please originated independently from a potato meme and video popular in our community.”

Golden Horn Studios

Golden Horn maintained its innocence, insisting that real people spent significant time designing, modeling, coding, and developing the game. The studio offered to show its project files and development process if necessary, and said it was “happy to discuss genuine similarities” while rejecting what it called unfair speculation about its team and work.

Community Divided on the Story

Despite Golden Horn’s defense, the community has largely sided with Klasa. Steam curators are already flagging Potato Please as an “AI imagery Rip off of 1,000,000 Potatoes,” and social media commenters have rallied behind the original developer, promising to wishlist his game in support. One user argued, “Its’ just really fking weird that somehow you both got Soviet Russia potato peeling sim and your account didn’t exist until after the game jam happened,” while another bluntly wrote, “This is literally 1:1 the SAME GAME lmao stop lying.”

However, the dispute is not without skeptics. Some players have struggled to uncover the viral meme that Golden Horn referenced in its defense, leaving questions about the studio’s claimed origins. Others have even accused Golden Horn of using AI to write its response to Klasa’s post, given the account’s recent creation and the absence of development footage. The lack of transparency surrounding Potato Please’s development has only deepened the divide.

Looking Ahead

As the dispute continues, Klasa has made clear his intention to stand by his original game and let the community decide which version deserves recognition. Golden Horn has offered to provide its project files and development process, though it has yet to release any concrete evidence to counter the allegations. The outcome of this feud could have broader implications for indie developers navigating an era where AI-assisted creation increasingly blurs the lines of originality and intellectual property.

For now, the spotlight remains firmly on Klasa’s 1,000,000 Potatoes and the viral moment that turned a small game jam project into a public battle over creativity, effort, and the future of game development. Whether the community ultimately accepts Golden Horn’s explanation or sides with the original developer will likely shape the narrative for months to come.

Virginia (she/her) is IGN’s News Editor. With ten years of experience reporting on games and entertainment, she’s got a storied background in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.