Daily Cost of Free AI Game Demo on Steam Exceeds 1,700 Manats

The daily artificial intelligence (AI) cost of the free “Teach My Little Sister How To Drive” demo released on Steam has exceeded $1,000 (approximately 1,700 manats). Easy Fox, the game’s developer, had to take out a bank loan to keep the demo running. The rise in costs was caused by the number of players growing more than 20-fold, faster than expected. Because the demo is free, the studio covers all ongoing costs.

Until the end of August, the demo had fewer than 10 players on average. By the end of September, the number of concurrent players had reached approximately 50. On October 1, a peak of 431 players was recorded. According to the developers, each individual player does not generate a large expense. However, the large number of people using AI services simultaneously has increased the overall bill.

In the game, players can give instructions to the virtual little sister learning to drive only by voice. Google Gemini listens to voice commands and generates responses within the game. When the primary service is unavailable, ChatGPT activates as a backup system. In other words, AI services are an essential part of the demo’s core control system.

As the number of players increased, the demo reached Google Gemini’s usage limit. In such cases, the system switches to the less capable ChatGPT Realtime Mini 2.1 model. For some players, the switch has caused delayed responses and commands to be misunderstood. Cheaper backup models also sometimes provide low-quality responses. The team is testing other models for Russia, where access to Western AI services is restricted.

Easy Fox plans to include the expected AI costs in the paid version’s overall price. Those who purchase the game will not be charged separately for subsequent AI use. Players with powerful hardware will also be able to use local AI models that run on their own devices. This approach could reduce dependence on external services and problems related to usage limits.