A local AI founder has created a multiplayer shooter game set in the Tenderloin, where players gun down zombie versions of neighborhood residents, drawing immediate criticism for its portrayal of people dealing with homelessness and addiction.
San Francisco tech founder Pierre-Louis Biojout is facing serious criticism after releasing a multiplayer shooter set in the Tenderloin, where players can gun down “zombie” versions of neighborhood residents, as KRON4 reports. The game, called Night Shift, features familiar streets around Jones and Eddy streets, with zombies hunched over on sidewalks and riding Lime scooters as players shoot them and throw grenades. The trailer also includes Waymo vehicles, Tesla Cybertrucks, and AI billboards.
Biojout posted the trailer on social media Tuesday, writing, “San Francisco couldn’t fix the Tenderloin. So I monetized it Call of Duty-style zombie shooter on the real SF streets. Multiplayer, in your browser.”
According to KRON4, one of the zombies is called “the folded,” a posture associated with fentanyl use in which a person bends forward at the waist while remaining on their feet.
The game prompted immediate criticism, with social media users arguing that it turns the city’s homelessness and drug crises into <a href="https://comicvibe.com/smac-entertainment-caa-everwonder-studio-launch-grand-slam-of-flag-womens-flag-football-series/” title=”SMAC Entertainment, CAA, EverWonder Studio Launch Grand Slam of Flag Women’s Flag Football Series”>entertainment. The game’s depiction of Black characters also utilizes racist tropes.
One user compared the game to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, which is set in Alcatraz.
“A zombie game based on an inactive prison is different than you monetizing shooting unhoused drug addicts,” they wrote. “You’re disgusting and really out of touch with reality.”
“Bring back shame,” said another commenter.
Unsurprisingly, the game has also attracted some enthusiastic responses. One user called it the best game they had played that year.
Another user responded, referring to the game’s critics, “Bro this is sick! Is what I’d say if I was a f-cking chud loser.”
Biojout, who founded the AI business platform NanoCorp in 2023, said he built Night Shift over a single weekend using AI coding tools despite having no previous video game development experience. He also claimed the game had already generated $300 in advertising revenue.
