Big Walk developer House House has found itself at the center of a controversy over the upcoming Independent Games Festival on March 3, 2027, after a group of its jurors said they would not vote for any game that has used generative AI in any capacity. The jurors' statement does not name House House or Big Walk, but the studio eventually updated its FAQ to explain how it used generative AI for coding after IGF discussions. After vaguely posting on social media, those associated with IGF made clear that a sticking point in the voting process was Big Walk.

Former games journalist and game developer Austin Walker posted the IGF jurors' statement on Bluesky, explaining that voting has been difficult this year due to the "significant increase in the number of submitted games developed with generative AI tools."

"This has set off some fairly intense discussion and disagreement across the judge and jury pools, and at this point there is no universal consensus on what (if anything) is to be done," the statement reads. "The IGF has affirmed that we may cast our votes according to our own tastes and values. But we, as a contingent of IGF jurors, feel that this trend and the games embracing it deserve stronger pushback than a vote in silence." 

The statement continues, explaining that not all jurors are on board with the blanket statement, citing reasons including "their ability to safely sign without professional blowback." It continues, "Above all: Our goal is to state solidarity with those who despair over the future of their art, their craft, and their industry – including those who have experimented with these tools, but who now believe they are not in our best interest."

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