SameTeem
Search titles only
By:
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Home
Forums
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
What's new
Featured content
Media
Resources
Free TeamSpeak Channel
TeamSpeak
TeamSpeak
Vote
Rank System
Make a Channel
Free Channel Information
Servers
Sourcebans
New posts
SameTeem
Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Featured content
Media
Resources
Free TeamSpeak Channel
TeamSpeak
Vote
Rank System
Make a Channel
Free Channel Information
Servers
Sourcebans
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More options
Contact us
Close Menu
Download TeamSpeak Today
Proudly sponsored by TeamSpeak
Forums
News and Announcements
Gaming News
Indie Game Awards Strips Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of Game of the Year Over Gen AI, Dev Says 'Placeholder' Textures Were Patched Out After Slipping
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Admin" data-source="post: 69629" data-attributes="member: 1"><p><img src="https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2025/12/12/co-1765513081416.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /></p><p>Fresh from receiving <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/clair-obscur-expedition-33-storms-the-game-awards-2025-wins-coveted-game-of-the-year" target="_blank">the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2025</a>, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been stripped of two awards from the Indie Game Awards after its use of generative AI hit the headlines.</p><p></p><p>Sandfall Interactive’s record-breaking role-playing game launched with some placeholder textures built with generative AI. The developer patched them out five days after release, insisting they made the cut by mistake. This went under the radar until recently, when comments from Sandfall co-founder and producer François Meurisse reemerged.</p><p></p><p>Speaking to <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-07-19/the-low-cost-creative-revolution-how-technology-is-making-art-accessible-to-everyone.html" target="_blank">El País</a> for an article published in July, Meurisse said: “We use some AI, but not much. The key is that we were very clear about what we wanted to do and what to invest in. And, of course, technology has allowed us to do things that were unthinkable a short time ago. Unreal Engine 5’s tools and assets have been very important in improving the graphics, gameplay, and cinematics.”</p><p></p><p></p><p>Meurisse’s comment resurfaced amid <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-ceo-responds-to-divinity-gen-ai-backlash-we-are-neither-releasing-a-game-with-any-ai-components-nor-are-we-looking-at-trimming-down-teams-to-replace-them-with-ai" target="_blank">a backlash to comments from Larian boss Swen Vincke in the wake of the developer’s high-profile announcement of Divinity at The Game Awards</a>. The original news came from a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-12-16/-baldur-s-gate-3-maker-promises-divinity-will-be-next-level?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2NTg5MzY2NSwiZXhwIjoxNzY2NDk4NDY1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUN0Q4ODFLSVAzSTkwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.D26Cs7X_5kH5HuJT2frcX_AMIXyuXWefzz5NK2VlXEI" target="_blank"><u>Bloomberg interview</u></a> in which Vincke said that Larian was "pushing hard" [Bloomberg's phrasing] on generative AI, even though it hasn't led to big gains in efficiency. Specifically, the studio was said to be using the technology to "explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art and write placeholder text." [again, Bloomberg's phrasing].</p><p></p><p>Vincke later addressed the backlash, and has promised an AMA to answer questions from fans. All the while, a light has been shone on Clair Obscur, which leads us to the Indie Game Awards.</p><p></p><p>Clair Obscur had won Game of the Year and Debut Game from the Indie Game Awards, but both awards are now retracted. Explaining the decision, <a href="https://www.indiegameawards.gg/faq" target="_blank">the Indie Game Awards said</a>:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Each award went to the next highest-ranked game in its respective category; Sorry We’re Closed now has Debut Game, and Blue Prince now has Game of the Year.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, El País has updated its original article to include a statement from Sandfall clarifying its use of generative AI in the making of Clair Obscur:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And here’s Vincke's latest statement in full:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>The use of generative AI in video game development is one of the hottest topics in the industry. Last month, we reported that <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/while-call-of-duty-black-ops-7-acknowledges-deliberate-ai-use-ubisoft-pledges-to-remove-ai-image-that-slipped-through-to-anno-117s-final-version" target="_blank"><u>Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft was forced to remove an image</u></a> found within <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/anno-117-pax-romana" target="_blank"><u>Anno 117: Pax Romana</u></a> that contained AI-generated elements after fans complained, and <a href="https://www.ign.com/games/call-of-duty-black-ops-7" target="_blank"><u>Call of Duty: Black Ops 7</u></a> players took to social media to <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/activision-responds-to-complaints-of-ai-generated-assets-in-call-of-duty-black-ops-7" target="_blank"><u>complain about AI-generated images they had found across the game</u></a>, following <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/studio-ghibli-ai-trend-sparks-chatgpt-backlash-resurfaces-old-comments-from-hayao-miyazaki-and-even-zelda-williams-has-waded-in" target="_blank"><u>a trend of AI-Ghibli images from earlier this year</u></a>.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/the-alters-developer-confirms-it-used-generative-ai-text-and-translations-promises-updates" target="_blank"><u>The Alters developer, 11 Bit Studios</u></a>, and Jurassic World Evolution 3 developer, Frontier Developments, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/jurassic-world-evolution-3-no-longer-includes-generative-ai-portraits-following-fan-backlash" target="_blank"><u>similarly faced fan backlash</u></a> when they were caught using undisclosed AI images. EA CEO Andrew Wilson has <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-says-ai-is-the-very-core-of-its-business-what-does-that-mean" target="_blank"><u>said AI is "the very core of our business,"</u></a> and Square Enix recently implemented mass layoffs and reorganized, saying it needed to <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/square-enix-undergoes-mass-layoffs-as-it-reorganizes-to-consolidate-development-in-japan" target="_blank"><u>be "aggressive in applying AI</u></a>." Dead Space creator Glen Schofield also recently detailed <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/dead-space-creator-glen-schofield-thinks-the-games-industry-is-broken-beaten-and-battered" target="_blank"><u>his plans to “fix” the industry in part via the use of generative AI in game development</u></a>, and former God of War dev Meghan Morgan Juinio has said: "... if we don’t embrace [AI], <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/former-god-of-war-dev-on-the-use-of-ai-in-games-development-if-we-dont-embrace-it-were-selling-ourselves-short" target="_blank"><u>I think we’re selling ourselves short</u></a>.”</p><p></p><p>As the debate around the use of generative AI to build video games rages on, Tim Sweeney, boss of Fortnite developer Epic Games, <a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/why-stop-at-ai-use-we-could-have-mandatory-disclosures-for-what-shampoo-brand-the-developer-uses-epic-boss-tim-sweeney-says-steam-should-ditch-its-ai-generated-content-disclosure" target="_blank">has waded in to call on Valve to ditch its AI Generated Content Disclosure for Steam games</a>.</p><p></p><p>Valve’s rules mean developers must disclose their use of AI-generated content on a game’s Steam store page. For example, the Steam page for Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders includes a note from the developer on how the game uses AI-generated content: “during the development process, we may use procedural- and AI-based tools to assist with content creation. In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team.”</p><p></p><p></p><p><em>Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at <a href="mailto:wesley_yinpoole@ign.com">wesley_yinpoole@ign.com</a> or confidentially at <a href="mailto:wyp100@proton.me">wyp100@proton.me</a>.</em></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.ign.com/articles/indie-game-awards-strips-clair-obscur-expedition-33-of-game-of-the-year-over-gen-ai-dev-says-placeholder-textures-were-patched-out-after-slipping-through-qa-process" target="_blank">Continue reading...</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Admin, post: 69629, member: 1"] [IMG]https://assets-prd.ignimgs.com/2025/12/12/co-1765513081416.jpg[/IMG] Fresh from receiving [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/clair-obscur-expedition-33-storms-the-game-awards-2025-wins-coveted-game-of-the-year']the Game of the Year award at The Game Awards 2025[/URL], Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been stripped of two awards from the Indie Game Awards after its use of generative AI hit the headlines. Sandfall Interactive’s record-breaking role-playing game launched with some placeholder textures built with generative AI. The developer patched them out five days after release, insisting they made the cut by mistake. This went under the radar until recently, when comments from Sandfall co-founder and producer François Meurisse reemerged. Speaking to [URL='https://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-07-19/the-low-cost-creative-revolution-how-technology-is-making-art-accessible-to-everyone.html']El País[/URL] for an article published in July, Meurisse said: “We use some AI, but not much. The key is that we were very clear about what we wanted to do and what to invest in. And, of course, technology has allowed us to do things that were unthinkable a short time ago. Unreal Engine 5’s tools and assets have been very important in improving the graphics, gameplay, and cinematics.” Meurisse’s comment resurfaced amid [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-ceo-responds-to-divinity-gen-ai-backlash-we-are-neither-releasing-a-game-with-any-ai-components-nor-are-we-looking-at-trimming-down-teams-to-replace-them-with-ai']a backlash to comments from Larian boss Swen Vincke in the wake of the developer’s high-profile announcement of Divinity at The Game Awards[/URL]. The original news came from a [URL='https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-12-16/-baldur-s-gate-3-maker-promises-divinity-will-be-next-level?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2NTg5MzY2NSwiZXhwIjoxNzY2NDk4NDY1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUN0Q4ODFLSVAzSTkwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJCMUVBQkI5NjQ2QUM0REZFQTJBRkI4MjI1MzgyQTJFQSJ9.D26Cs7X_5kH5HuJT2frcX_AMIXyuXWefzz5NK2VlXEI'][U]Bloomberg interview[/U][/URL] in which Vincke said that Larian was "pushing hard" [Bloomberg's phrasing] on generative AI, even though it hasn't led to big gains in efficiency. Specifically, the studio was said to be using the technology to "explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art and write placeholder text." [again, Bloomberg's phrasing]. Vincke later addressed the backlash, and has promised an AMA to answer questions from fans. All the while, a light has been shone on Clair Obscur, which leads us to the Indie Game Awards. Clair Obscur had won Game of the Year and Debut Game from the Indie Game Awards, but both awards are now retracted. Explaining the decision, [URL='https://www.indiegameawards.gg/faq']the Indie Game Awards said[/URL]: Each award went to the next highest-ranked game in its respective category; Sorry We’re Closed now has Debut Game, and Blue Prince now has Game of the Year. Meanwhile, El País has updated its original article to include a statement from Sandfall clarifying its use of generative AI in the making of Clair Obscur: And here’s Vincke's latest statement in full: The use of generative AI in video game development is one of the hottest topics in the industry. Last month, we reported that [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/while-call-of-duty-black-ops-7-acknowledges-deliberate-ai-use-ubisoft-pledges-to-remove-ai-image-that-slipped-through-to-anno-117s-final-version'][U]Assassin's Creed publisher Ubisoft was forced to remove an image[/U][/URL] found within [URL='https://www.ign.com/games/anno-117-pax-romana'][U]Anno 117: Pax Romana[/U][/URL] that contained AI-generated elements after fans complained, and [URL='https://www.ign.com/games/call-of-duty-black-ops-7'][U]Call of Duty: Black Ops 7[/U][/URL] players took to social media to [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/activision-responds-to-complaints-of-ai-generated-assets-in-call-of-duty-black-ops-7'][U]complain about AI-generated images they had found across the game[/U][/URL], following [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/studio-ghibli-ai-trend-sparks-chatgpt-backlash-resurfaces-old-comments-from-hayao-miyazaki-and-even-zelda-williams-has-waded-in'][U]a trend of AI-Ghibli images from earlier this year[/U][/URL]. [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/the-alters-developer-confirms-it-used-generative-ai-text-and-translations-promises-updates'][U]The Alters developer, 11 Bit Studios[/U][/URL], and Jurassic World Evolution 3 developer, Frontier Developments, meanwhile, [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/jurassic-world-evolution-3-no-longer-includes-generative-ai-portraits-following-fan-backlash'][U]similarly faced fan backlash[/U][/URL] when they were caught using undisclosed AI images. EA CEO Andrew Wilson has [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-says-ai-is-the-very-core-of-its-business-what-does-that-mean'][U]said AI is "the very core of our business,"[/U][/URL] and Square Enix recently implemented mass layoffs and reorganized, saying it needed to [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/square-enix-undergoes-mass-layoffs-as-it-reorganizes-to-consolidate-development-in-japan'][U]be "aggressive in applying AI[/U][/URL]." Dead Space creator Glen Schofield also recently detailed [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/dead-space-creator-glen-schofield-thinks-the-games-industry-is-broken-beaten-and-battered'][U]his plans to “fix” the industry in part via the use of generative AI in game development[/U][/URL], and former God of War dev Meghan Morgan Juinio has said: "... if we don’t embrace [AI], [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/former-god-of-war-dev-on-the-use-of-ai-in-games-development-if-we-dont-embrace-it-were-selling-ourselves-short'][U]I think we’re selling ourselves short[/U][/URL].” As the debate around the use of generative AI to build video games rages on, Tim Sweeney, boss of Fortnite developer Epic Games, [URL='https://www.ign.com/articles/why-stop-at-ai-use-we-could-have-mandatory-disclosures-for-what-shampoo-brand-the-developer-uses-epic-boss-tim-sweeney-says-steam-should-ditch-its-ai-generated-content-disclosure']has waded in to call on Valve to ditch its AI Generated Content Disclosure for Steam games[/URL]. Valve’s rules mean developers must disclose their use of AI-generated content on a game’s Steam store page. For example, the Steam page for Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders includes a note from the developer on how the game uses AI-generated content: “during the development process, we may use procedural- and AI-based tools to assist with content creation. In all such cases, the final product reflects the creativity and expression of our own development team.” [I]Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email]wesley_yinpoole@ign.com[/email] or confidentially at [email]wyp100@proton.me[/email].[/I] [url="https://www.ign.com/articles/indie-game-awards-strips-clair-obscur-expedition-33-of-game-of-the-year-over-gen-ai-dev-says-placeholder-textures-were-patched-out-after-slipping-through-qa-process"]Continue reading...[/url] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
News and Announcements
Gaming News
Indie Game Awards Strips Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 of Game of the Year Over Gen AI, Dev Says 'Placeholder' Textures Were Patched Out After Slipping
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…
Top
