Digital Sun has hit pause on a planned public Steam playtest for ReVamp, citing fears that artificial intelligence tools could be used to clone the game before it launches. The Moonlighter developer opened Steam playtest sign-ups during the October Triple-i Initiative showcase, then reversed course in favor of a smaller test through its Discord server, according to Polygon and Kotaku.
The Discord playtest is set to begin Oct. 29. Digital Sun said it still hopes to open a public playtest around January, ahead of ReVamp’s scheduled March 25, 2027, release.
Why Digital Sun Delayed the ReVamp Playtest
Digital Sun said the decision came down to risk. “We’ve been concerned by the recent news of games being reverse-engineered, cloned and published before the original is even out,” the studio wrote in a post on X. It added, “With launch still months away, a large public build of ReVamp felt like too big a risk,” according to Polygon.
Kotaku reported that the concern centers on AI tools, particularly Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5, which can decompile and recompile game code. According to the outlet, that process once took determined coders months or years to pull off manually but can now move much faster with AI assistance, giving bad actors a window to copy a game and release a clone before the original even launches.
Digital Sun isn’t alone in pulling back. Alliance Arts canceled a planned Steam Next Fest demo for its game Drunken Goddess Reflux over the same cloning fears, Kotaku reported.
What the Delay Means for Fans
For players hoping to get early hands-on time with ReVamp, the shift means a much smaller pool of access in the short term. Instead of an open Steam playtest, the first test will run through Digital Sun’s Discord, where players can still sign up before Oct. 29. The studio hasn’t said how many players will get in.
Digital Sun also apologized to players who had requested access on Steam and said it hopes platforms keep strengthening protections for original work, a sign that the studio views the AI cloning threat as bigger than a single game. The company didn’t specify what protections it wants to see.
Background on ReVamp
ReVamp is what Digital Sun calls a “tower defensevania,” a roguelite castle defense game from the studio behind Moonlighter, published by Forklift Interactive. Players take on the role of Dracula, defending his castle from waves of invaders while fighting in its halls directly. The game was first revealed at the Future Games Show Spring Showcase in March 2026 and returned during the Oct. 8 Triple-i Initiative showcase, which featured new reveals and release dates from independent studios.
What’s Next
Discord players will get the first look at ReVamp starting Oct. 29. If the January public playtest goes ahead as planned, it will be the first chance for most players to try the game before its March launch.
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