TLDR: White Owls Inc.’s ‘Hotel Barcelona,’ a collaboration between Swery65 and Suda51, has added a generative AI disclosure to its Steam page after its September 26, 2025, launch. The disclosure, added a few days post-release, reveals that AI text-to-speech was used for VHS tape voiceovers and generative fill AI for a logo on these tapes. This belated transparency has led to fan backlash regarding potential violations of Steam’s terms of service and concerns over creative integrity.
White Owls Inc.’s latest horror-action title, ‘Hotel Barcelona,’ a highly anticipated collaboration between renowned developers Swery65 and Suda51, has recently come under scrutiny following a retroactive disclosure of generative AI content. The game, which launched on Steam on September 26, 2025, initially lacked any mention of AI-generated material on its store page. However, a few days after its release, the page was updated to include an ‘AI Generated Content Disclosure,’ sparking a debate among the gaming community regarding transparency and adherence to platform guidelines.
The updated disclosure specifies two instances of AI utilization within ‘Hotel Barcelona.’ Firstly, voiceovers for VHS tapes discoverable in the game’s later stages were produced using a text-to-speech generative AI service. Secondly, a logo featured on these same VHS tapes was completed with generative fill AI. The developer has also stated that these AI-generated elements are slated for removal in an upcoming patch, to be replaced with content created without AI.
This belated revelation has ignited considerable frustration among players, particularly on platforms like the Reset Era forums. Many fans have highlighted that the absence of disclosure at launch could constitute a violation of Steam’s Terms of Service, which mandate clear flagging of AI-generated content by developers. A common sentiment expressed by players is the concern over refund eligibility, with one user remarking, ‘I’d hate if I had bought the game and found out about the AI usage after playing more than two hours, thus unable to get a refund.’
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Beyond the terms of service, the controversy also touches upon the creative integrity of the game. Fans, who admire creators like Swery and Suda51 for their unique and original approaches to game development, voiced disappointment, arguing that the use of generative tools undermines the very originality that defines these developers’ work. The criticism has also extended to Valve, with some questioning the consistency of their enforcement policies, wondering how a title could be released without the necessary AI disclosure if such rules were already in effect.
