Playdate maker Panic has announced that it will no longer allow games created with the use of Generative AI to be published on the handheld's Catalog digital storefront.
The new AI policy comes into effect this month, which means Catalog titles that use Generative AI for art, audio, music, text, or dialogue will no longer be accepted.
For clarity, Panic explains that "Generative AI" refers to models including LLMs like ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Google Gemini; AI-based image generation models like Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, and Midjourney; and AI audio generation models such as MuseNet, Suno, and Udio.
Panic is keen to stress that "AI" does not refer to "custom-written functions for determining in-game behaviours," such as enemy AI routines.
"There are lots of people in the world who are extremely eager and excited to create beautiful music, art, and words for your Playdate creation," adds the statement. "If you need any help at all finding people to help with any parts of your title, you can check out the collaborations channel in the Playdate Squad Discord or the Playdate Developer Forum."
Previously approved or released Catalog titles which have used Generative AI will still be available on the digital store, but will be "flagged as such with an explanation of how it was used."
"For the time being, we will allow Catalog titles that have used AI assistance in the coding process, but we will flag any title as such and specify the extent that it was used (for example, “Lua debugging”) so the customer can decide whether to support it or not," adds Panic.
"All of this is under constant discussion and is subject to change at any time. We will update this page as we make further changes."
GenAI models are trained on massive amounts of human-made data and compete directly with artists, musicians, and coders in the workplace.