The developer behind The Alters has acknowledged that AI-generated text was used in small portions of the finished game.
As reported by Eurogamer and others, players noticed that one section of The Alters featured a computer terminal that appeared to show AI-generated text – including the prompt used to generate the text.
In addition, some people have reported issues with portions of the translated text in some languages, such as Korean, which appear to have been AI generated.
Players were quick to point out that according to Steam’s rules, any game that uses AI-generated assets must flag this on the game’s Steam page, which The Alters did not do when it was released on June 13.
Now, 11-Bit Studios has responded, confirming that AI-generated text was used in some parts of The Alters. In a statement posted on Bluesky, the company said that: “AI-generated assets were used strictly as temporary WIPs [work in progresses] during the development process and in a very limited manner.”
“Due to extreme time constraints, we chose not to involve our translation partners”
11-Bit Studios
“Our team has always prioritized meaningful, handcrafted storytelling as one of the foundations of the game,” it continues.
The statement goes on to explain that the placeholder computer terminal text was “never intended to be part of the final release” and was left in “due to an internal oversight”. It adds that following a review, 11-Bit Studios has confirmed this was an isolated case.
Regarding the AI-translated dialogue, the statement notes that a few licensed movies were added that “required additional last-minute translations”.
“Due to extreme time constraints, we chose not to involve our translation partners and had those videos localized using AI to have them ready on launch,” the statement says.
“It was always our intention to involve our trusted translation agencies after release as part of our localization hotfix, to ensure those texts would be handled with the same care and quality as the rest of the game. That process is now underway, and updated translations are being implemented.”
“In hindsight, we acknowledge this was the wrong call.”
The episode highlights the way that generative AI is gradually creeping into the development process, along with the reputational damage it can cause.
Just last week, Frontier Developments was criticised for the inclusion of AI-generated scientist portraits in Jurassic Evolution 3. The studio later removed the portraits in response to player feedback.
Actor Jane Perry has also talked about the threat of AI to voice actors. “I think most audiences prefer a real human performance,” she said, “however, the creative drive of the tech elite is incredibly strong, especially when the name of the game is to replace humans with machines.”