Ubisoft has announced that they will remove an AI-generated placeholder image from their game Anno 117: Pax Romana. This decision comes after players identified noticeable artifacts in the artwork, including misshapen hands and fused characters, which served as clear indicators of AI involvement. The company acknowledged that the image mistakenly passed through their review process and confirmed plans to replace it in the upcoming patch 1.3.
Ubisoft has been open about using AI tools for prototyping and exploration during the development process. However, the incident has prompted questions regarding the extent of AI use, especially concerning the potentially AI-generated German localization text. Despite leveraging AI technologies, Ubisoft emphasized that all final game elements are meant to reflect the team’s creative intentions.
The incident sparked disappointment within the Anno community, reflecting a broader industry apprehension towards AI possibly replacing human artists—despite companies possessing sufficient resources to hire them. This follows similar occurrences in other studios, like 11 Bit Studios, where the integration of generative AI has faced skepticism from game developers. Ubisoft’s situation highlights ongoing debates about the role of AI in the gaming industry and its implications on artistic integrity.

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Ubisoft will remove an AI-generated placeholder image from Anno 117: Pax Romana after players spotted telltale artifacts like malformed hands and merged characters. While the company uses AI for prototyping, the image mistakenly made it through review and will be replaced in patch 1.3. The incident has reignited community concerns about AI replacing human artists in game development, despite studios having resources to hire creative talent, and raises questions about the extent of AI use in other game elements like localization.

Ubisoft to Replace AI-Generated Image in Anno 117: Pax Romana