Indie game developer Rado Klasa has publicly accused Golden Horn Studios of using artificial intelligence to clone his physics-based game, "1,000,000 Potatoes." Klasa alleges that Golden Horn's "Potato Please," which features a similar premise of peeling potatoes in a Soviet-style military setting, is a direct theft of his original concept. He created his game for the GMTK game jam and was meticulously polishing its mechanics before announcing a Steam page.
Klasa shared a comparison of his game's build with "Potato Please" on X, formerly Twitter, stating it was "every indie dev's worst nightmare." He believes the clone was likely created with "a simple AI prompt," expressing disappointment that a rushed imitation has reached the market before his more polished version. He emphasized that "the original version will always have the quality players actually deserve."
Curators on Steam have begun flagging "Potato Please" as an AI imagery rip-off of "1,000,000 Potatoes," and many players have voiced support for Klasa online, promising to wishlist his game.
Golden Horn Studios has denied Klasa's accusations, asserting they had never seen his game prior to the posts. The studio claims "Potato Please" originated independently, inspired by a popular potato meme and video within their community. They stated that similar concepts are not evidence of copying and that their team has invested significant time in designing, modeling, and coding the game, offering to show project files and development process if necessary.
However, players remain skeptical. Some have pointed out the striking similarities and questioned Golden Horn's narrative, noting the studio's account was created recently and has not showcased extensive development progress. There have also been accusations that Golden Horn's response to Klasa was AI-generated.