According to TechSpot, Activision, Ubisoft, and Arrowhead are facing significant player backlash for using AI-generated content in their latest games despite Steam’s January 2025 policy requiring AI disclosure. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 features AI-created calling cards with a distinctive Studio Ghibli style that players immediately recognized from ChatGPT’s March image generator update. Ubisoft’s Anno 117: Pax Romana includes AI background images with “melty faces” that the company claims unintentionally slipped through review. Meanwhile, Arrowhead’s Arc Raiders uses AI voice generation that Eurogamer called an “inexcusable decision” in its 2/5 review. Despite the controversy, all three studios appear committed to using AI tools in their development processes.
The AI Backlash Continues
Here’s the thing – we’ve been down this road before. Steam started requiring AI disclosures back in January, and we saw the exact same outrage with Black Ops 6. Remember the six-fingered zombie Santa? That was basically Activision’s trial balloon. Now they’re pushing even further with these calling cards that players are openly mocking on Reddit. The Studio Ghibli style is particularly telling – it’s like they’re not even trying to hide it anymore.
Studio Responses Tell Different Stories
What’s fascinating is how differently these companies are handling the criticism. Activision’s response basically amounts to “deal with it” – they’re completely unrepentant. Ubisoft at least admitted the Anno image “unintentionally slipped through” and promised a patch. But then they immediately followed up by saying their artists do use AI tools regularly. Arrowhead’s CEO Shams Jorjani took the most defensive stance, essentially asking if people would prefer the game failed rather than use AI. It’s a spectrum of corporate responses, but none of them are backing away from AI entirely.
Players Are Deeply Divided
And honestly, that’s because the player base itself is split. Some people absolutely refuse to touch any game that used AI in development. Others don’t mind AI as a behind-the-scenes tool but draw the line at visible AI content. Then there are those who just don’t care as long as the game is good. The problem is, when you’re dealing with massive franchises like Call of Duty, even alienating 10% of your audience means losing millions of potential sales. But maybe Activision’s done the math and decided the cost savings outweigh the backlash.
Broader Industry Implications
Look, this isn’t going away. As tools like those tracked by gaming analysts become more sophisticated, we’re going to see more studios testing the waters. The real question is whether players will actually vote with their wallets. So far, the pattern suggests they won’t – or at least not in numbers that matter to these billion-dollar companies. Basically, we’re watching the normalization of AI in game development happen in real time, whether we like it or not.
