According to IGN, the studio behind the Postal franchise, Running With Scissors, announced a new game called Postal: Bullet Paradise on Wednesday, only to cancel it by the end of the week. The game, being developed by Goonswarm Games, was scrapped after fans on the Postal subreddit accused it of using generative AI in its assets. Despite denials from both Goonswarm and Running With Scissors, the publisher stated the controversy caused “extreme damage” to its brand and broke its trust in the developer. In response, Goonswarm Games announced it is shutting down its studio, ending six years of work. The studio cited a flood of threats and insults following the accusations as a key reason for closing.
The AI Witch Hunt Is Getting Real
Here’s the thing: we’re now in an era where an accusation is enough to kill a project and a company. Goonswarm claimed they provided layered PSDs and work-in-progress files to prove human creation, as they told PCGamesN. But the court of public opinion, fueled by pixel-peeping on Reddit, had already rendered its verdict. The fans pointed to weird sprite mouths and “off” shading in the reveal trailer as proof. And honestly, looking at it, some of it does look… questionable. But is that enough to destroy a studio? The line between “bad art” and “AI art” is getting dangerously blurry, and the consequences are now existential.
A Publisher Panics and a Studio Pays
Running With Scissors’ reaction is a masterclass in panic-driven PR. First, co-owner Mike Jaret called concerned fans “ignorant assholes” on Discord. Then, a complete 180-degree pivot to canceling the game and throwing the developer under the bus. Their statement about protecting the brand reads as deeply cynical. They saw the mob forming and chose to sacrifice their partner to appease it. The result? Goonswarm is dead. In their shutdown statement, they talk about being “caught in the middle of an AI war by accident.” That feels like the most genuine line in this whole mess. A studio is gone, and for what? A game from a franchise whose last main entry, Postal 4, got a 2/10 review for being a broken, unfunny mess.
The Bigger Picture for Creators
So what’s the lesson here? For developers, your community is a double-edged sword. The Postal fanbase is fiercely protective, and they just flexed immense power. But this sets a terrifying precedent. What stops a coordinated group from making false accusations to sabotage a competitor or a project they simply don’t like? The burden of proof is now on the artist to prove a negative—that they *didn’t* use AI. And as Goonswarm found out, even providing source files might not be enough if the narrative has already taken hold. The trust between creators and audience is fraying, replaced by instant suspicion.
What Comes Next?
Look, maybe Goonswarm did use AI. Their previous game, SCP: Control Error, also faced similar whispers. But the punishment—total cancellation and studio closure—feels disproportionate. The fans “won,” but they also lost a game they seemed excited about. Running With Scissors gets to play the hero who “listened to the community,” but they look reactionary and disloyal. And a team of artists is out of work. Nobody really wins. This whole saga is a messy, ugly preview of the creative battles to come, where the tools are secondary to the pitchforks. The question is, who’s next?
