Actually, it’s a nice gesture when developers continue to provide free updates for their game even after many years, but a shooter on Steam has now drawn the ire of its fans.
Which game is it about? Killer7 is a shooter developed by Grasshopper Manufacture. In 2018, the game, which originally released for the Nintendo GameCube and PS2, received a remaster on Steam. There, the shooter was celebrated by many as a cult classic.
Six years after the remake was released, the developers released a significant free update for the game on October 25, 2024. This includes bug fixes, some quality-of-life features, and graphical improvements. However, one aspect is angering the community.
You can see a trailer for the game here:
Cutscenes upscaled with AI
Why are players angry? The only point of criticism about the update is the revised cutscenes. According to players’ allegations, these were upscaled using AI.
The recent reviews on Steam reflect the frustration of the players: The majority, specifically 71%, are negative. And this is despite the game being rated very well overall, with 93% positive reviews. Many players are demanding the return of the old cutscenes.
- boofbugs on Steam: “Completely illegible and absolutely atrocious AI upscaling. A disgraceful blemish that cannot be overlooked in an otherwise impeccable game.”
- ChurroBoi on Steam: “The update ruined the cutscenes with terrible AI upscaling that looks like S**t. I mean, that’s insane. They could have upscaled them in a better way. It looks like someone did it in two seconds without checking the result. Revert the update.”
- Ted on Steam: “All animated cutscenes were ruined by poor AI upscaling. Please revert them or give players the option to view the original.”
We have requested a statement from Grasshopper Manufacture, the developers of Killer7, regarding the players’ allegations that the video sequences were upscaled using artificial intelligence. We will update the text with the developers’ response as soon as it is available.
If this news reaches the developers, it is inconceivable that the cutscenes will not be revised again. No one would have expected them to return after six years for a free game update.
While Killer7 has to recover from this free update, a building game on Steam is experiencing the exact opposite. You can read more about it in the following article on MeinMMO: Building game on Steam releases large expansion and quintupled player numbers – “Well deserved”
