Seed Sparkle Lab, the developer of the recently launched game Starsand Island, has publicly addressed what it describes as a “praise-bombing” campaign targeting its title.
This anime-inspired cozy life simulation game became available on Steam Early Access and Xbox Preview on February 11. It is also part of Xbox Game Pass.
Despite its recent release, the Chinese development team, Seed Sparkle Lab, issued a statement on the game’s Steam page, expressing skepticism about the overwhelmingly positive feedback.
The studio stated, “A significant volume of excessively positive ‘praise’ comments regarding our game has been observed across multiple social platforms.”
Initially, this was perceived as genuine recognition and appreciation for the game. However, irregularities were soon identified on Steam, including comments posted after minimal playtime and reviews released almost simultaneously, suggesting potential AI generation.
This raised concerns that the situation might be a form of “overpraise” intended as an attack. While concrete evidence is lacking, the studio suspects intentional manipulation.
Adding to the confusion, this method is not inexpensive, as leaving a review necessitates purchasing the game. It was later discovered that some accounts involved in this activity refunded the game after submitting their reviews.
The developer’s clear message to those potentially orchestrating this “praise-bombing” is to cease these actions, allowing the team to focus on game development rather than investigating the unusual activity.
The studio emphasized, “Developing an indie game presents significant challenges. The primary goal is to concentrate on creating a quality product and enhancing the experience for players who genuinely enjoy the game.”
A direct plea was made: “To whoever is responsible for this, please stop. Allow the team to focus on game development undisturbed. No threat is posed to anyone.”
The Early Access phase for Starsand Island is dedicated to finalizing game content and refining the end-game experience for players. The full release is anticipated this summer on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, and PC.
Currently, the Early Access version of Starsand Island is single-player. However, the full game, launching this summer, will introduce a new multiplayer mode.
