Sick of AI-Generated Games? This Human-Made RPG Lets You Play a Clown’s Birthday Party Nightmare
As the fight over AI-generated games rages on, a small Los Angeles studio is betting on the opposite. Send In The Clown, a comedy RPG whose Steam page says no AI was used, has a demo live during Steam Next Fest.
Players step into the oversized shoes of Pockets, a struggling birthday clown trying to save 12-year-old Miranda’s party from her bratty little brother, Tad. The hour-long game builds to a single turn-based boss battle.
Send In The Clown Demo: What to Expect From the Comedy RPG
The standalone demo serves as a prologue to the main game and showcases its RPG mechanics, according to the studio. Players unlock classic clown abilities and befriend party guests to take the party back from Tad.
Mad Herons says the turn-based battle system is used just once, in the final fight with Tad. Co-director Nick Park joked that the team built a full-on system for that single showdown.
Characters befriended earlier can join Pockets in the final battle, the studio says. Its pitch also promises varied minigames, including Guitar Hero-style dad dancing and satirical bullet-hell shooters.
Mad Herons Studio: Human-Made Indie Game Built by LA Improv Veterans
Mad Herons was founded in Los Angeles in January 2025 by Jacques Mouledoux, Karen Park and Nick Park. The studio says its team includes a former iCarly writer, a SpaceX engineer and a university professor.
Send In The Clown is the studio’s debut title. The concept grew out of Global Game Jam 2024, before Mad Herons formally existed, and the game was announced Sept. 4, 2026.
Lead writer Jacques Mouledoux said the team made the game as “a fun, silly treat for players.” The full game, he added, promises more characters, minigames and secrets, plus a story with heart.
Mad Herons expects to release the full game on Steam later in 2026. The Steam page states that no artificial intelligence was used to make it, a pointed stance as the debate over generative AI in games continues.
