Love it or hate it, AI is becoming impossible to ignore in game development. Few studios, however, have been as open about using it as the developer behind Ashen Crown, which launches on Steam today as what is believed to be one of the first roguelites built almost entirely with generative AI.
Developer Quahjit has made no secret of the experiment. Almost every part of the project, from the code and balancing to the music and audio, was created with the help of Claude AI, while the developer provided the game’s vision, direction, testing, and final decisions. They’ve even published the source code and a detailed explanation of the development process, inviting players to judge the results for themselves.
The game itself is a single-player roguelite autobattler where success comes from the build you assemble rather than quick reflexes. Players climb through 20 increasingly difficult battles, combining 12 weapons, 24 classes, 53 subspecializations, hundreds of skills, and hidden fusion paths to create increasingly overpowered builds before facing the final boss. Every run encourages experimentation, with the next combination often appearing where you least expect it.
Perhaps the biggest question isn’t whether Ashen Crown is a good roguelite, it’s how players will respond to a game that’s so transparent about how it was made. AI-generated games have already sparked plenty of debate, but most developers have been reluctant to talk openly about the tools they’ve used. Ashen Crown takes the opposite approach, putting AI at the center of the conversation rather than hiding it.
That honesty alone makes today’s launch an interesting one to watch. Whether Ashen Crown becomes remembered for its autobattling, its build variety, or the discussion surrounding its development, it’s likely to be one of the more talked-about roguelite releases of the year.