Indie dev hits out at "AI-copied" ripoff of their Zelda meets Ghibli game that appeared just before release

Mika and The Witch's Mountain is just a day away - but what should be an exciting time has been soured by shameless "AI-generated" copies of Chibig's whimsical indie gem.

There are few 2024 releases I'm looking forward to as much as I am Mika and The Witch's Mountain, a gorgeous Wind Waker-esque video game homage to Kiki's Delivery Service. It's releasing tomorrow, August 21 - and while I'm ecstatic, I'm also disappointed to see that its developer is having to deal with blatant ripoffs. In a new post accompanied by a screenshot of one such copy, Chibig reveals as much.

Yeah thank you we feel very flattered but if you really want an actual non-IA-generated copied game Mika and the Witch's Mountain will come on August 21st ✨ https://t.co/Q3B40fMdFS pic.twitter.com/YC1jJkV8HMAugust 19, 2024

"Yeah thank you we feel very flattered," the studio claps back at the dupe 'game' - if you can call it that. "If you really want an actual non-AI-generated copied game Mika and the Witch's Mountain will come on August 21st." Personally, I'm obsessed with Chibig's response here - a perfect amount of much-needed sass alongside a very gentle reminder of the genuine Mika game's imminent release date.

If you're just as excited to support the studio and experience Mika's adventures as I am, you can wishlist Chibig's game right now on Steam ahead of tomorrow's big launch. This isn't the developer's first go at a wholesome game, either - the team previously released Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara, a Ghibli-inspired platformer with Wind Waker vibes, as well as life sim Summer in Mara.

Check out these other upcoming indie games for even more to look forward to.

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more