The use of AI in games has become increasingly controversial over the past few months, as more studios utilize the technology to aid in game development.
To help gamers decide whether this is something they want in their games, platforms such as Steam have startedrequiring developers to indicate if AI was usedin the development of their game.
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Apparently, someone at11-bit Studios, the developer of indie hitThe Alters, forgot the memo.
The Alters Under Fire For Not Disclosing AI Use
Over on social media, gamers have found damning evidence that 11-bit Studios have used generative AI in The Alters. One example shows that there are text crawls where you’re able to see the AI prompt responses before it spits out science jargon.
Check out the image captured by user pixeldie onBluesky:
It doesn’t end there though. Another gamer who played The Alters with Brazilian Portuguese subtitles alsosaidthat “several times the subtitles go crazy.” A third player backed this up with a screenshot that showed the claims are correct, with the subtitle reading “Sure! The text translated to Brazilian Portuguese is: Every conversation two people can have, right? So we-”
It’s gotten so bad that there’s now aSteam threadabout AI use in the game’s official Steam page. The thread doesn’t beat around the bush, as the title reads: “The game is using AI-generated content without a proper Steam Page disclaimer!”
The post mentions, “This is absolutely unacceptable. 11 bit studios has been caught using AI in The Alters without ANY disclaimer on the Steam page.”
While 11-bit has not issued a statement about these allegations as of press time, Handong Ryu, who claims he was responsible for translating the vast majority of the Korean version of The Alters, took toLinkedInto talk about the issue.
The post reads (viaEurogamer): “I was responsible for translating the vast majority of the Korean version of The Alters. Unfortunately, the same issue exists in the Korean version as well, which makes it more likely that the second scenario you mentioned is closer to the truth. While no AI prompt has been exposed, I can confirm thatthe same section of the Korean localization shows clear signs of having been run through an LLM without proper editing.”
Ryu adds that there has been “significant backlash from the Korean gaming community, which has been “really disheartening to witness,” especially since the criticism stems from a part of The Alters he had no control over.
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Since its release earlier this month, The Alters managed to be one of the year’s biggest surprises. It currently has a “Mighty” rating on Open Critic, with an average score of 86.
Will the developers offer a statement about this? I imagine they will. Will this affect the game’s sales? Probably not, as a lot of people don’t care whether AI is used or not, nor will they find out about it.
It’s not just indie studios that AI has infiltrated. Even Sony is experimenting with its use of it,with some startling results.
With how studios are closing left and right, and as more and more developers lose their jobs, the use of AI to save on development costs will always be a touchy topic, and one I completely understand why most have a problem with.
If you’re just starting The Alters out, check out ourcomplete Act One guide and walkthroughto find out how to make the most out of every scenario.
