{
  "id": 16205390,
  "title": "Future? No Thanks! dev removes AI-generated voices from game and offers refunds to players who feel \"betrayed\"",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/future-no-thanks-dev-removes-ai-generated-voices-from-game-and-offers",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-23T17:26:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Rock Paper Shotgun",
    "slug": "rock-paper-shotgun",
    "url": "https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/future-no-thanks-dev-removes-ai-generated-voices-from-game-and-offers-refunds-to-players-who-feel-betrayed"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The open world ecosatire game Future? No Thanks! has been updated to remove some AI-generated voices, according to lead developer Paolo Molleindustria Pedercini. He had previously disclosed his use of the technology, but after facing backlash and media coverage, he has decided to remove the two instances of text-to-speech generated voice work for in-game robot characters. Pedercini offered refunds to players who still feel betrayed by this decision. He later explained that he used AI-generated voices as a spoof of generative AI, but the new generation of text-to-speech now counts as user-facing AI-generated content, creating annoyances and bad optics. Despite still believing the voices should stay in the game, Pedercini acknowledged that it is worse now, but only minimally. He also made changes to the game to give players more money, preventing soft-locking situations. Pedercini blamed the backlash on social media, drawing comparisons to the Gamergate hate campaign. He ended by sharing a list of developers who have sworn off generative AI, encouraging others to support these developers.",
  "summary": "Open world ecosatire Future? No Thanks! has been updated to remove some AI-generated voices, after lead developer Paolo \"Molleindustria\" Pedercini belatedly disclosed his usage of the technology earlier this week. He's also offering to refund people over Paypal or Venmo if they \"still feel betrayed\" by this. Read more",
  "key_points": [
    "Developer Paolo Molleindustria removed AI-generated voices from game Future? No Thanks!",
    "Offered refunds to players feeling betrayed by decision",
    "Blamed backlash on social media, comparing to Gamergate"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The developer's reversal signals how even satirical uses of generative technology can trigger intense community backlash, forcing creators to prioritize player sentiment over original artistic intent.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}