The publisher behind strategy games Endless Legend 2, Terra Invicta, and Against the Storm has officially banned the use of AI-generated assets in all its products. Hooded Horse has had a significant presence in the strategy game space over the last few years, thanks to hits like Manor Lords. Now, when many publishers and developers are evaluating (or touting) their relationship to generative AI, Hooded Horse is rebuking its use for art generation.
Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender discussed the ban in an interview with Kotaku, emphasizing that restrictions on AI art are part of every contract Hooded Horse signs. He said, “It is now written into our contracts if we’re publishing the game, ‘no f**king AI assets.'” He also expressed personal exasperation with how GenAI has made his job harder. He said, “If I sound frustrated, it’s because, like, honestly, all this thing has done is made our lives more difficult.”
This frustration comes from the fact that GenAI usage can be difficult to catch. Even if the intention is to use a generated asset only as a placeholder, those assets can easily make their way to the final product. “We’ve gotten to the point where we also talk to developers and we recommend they don’t use any gen AI anywhere in the process,” Bender elaborated.
Still, preventing these slip-ups requires constant vigilance. As Bender put it, “We’re constantly having to watch and deal with it and try to prevent it from slipping in, because it’s cancerous.” Bender’s concerns have precedent. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lost its Indie Game of the Year award over “placeholder” AI assets, which were removed after players spotted them.
Generative AI has become a ubiquitous and controversial feature of game development and tech culture in general. Developers and fans alike criticized Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian’s usage of generative AI, prompting clarification from Larian CEO Swen Vincke. Arc Raiders developers Embark has continued to defend its deployment of AI text-to-speech models. Lies of P publisher Neowitz has touted its incorporation of AI to enhance productivity. Even Pope Leo has weighed in, calling on “all builders of AI to cultivate moral discernment as a fundamental part of their work.”