Manor Lords and 9 Kings Publisher Bans “Cancerous Growth” AI in Its Games
Hooded Horse has adopted a rigorous and uncompromising stance against the use of generative AI.
The publisher has officially prohibited the inclusion of generative AI in any project released under its banner. Tim Bender, the company’s CEO, detailed this strategic move in a recent interview with Kotaku.
According to Bender, an explicit and unambiguous clause has been integrated into all new publishing agreements, leaving no room for interpretation by developers.
“I have a profound dislike for AI-generated art; it is nothing but a headache that manages to infiltrate spaces where it has no business being. Our publishing contracts now state in no uncertain terms: absolutely no AI-generated assets.”
Bender went on to provide further context regarding his firm stance on the matter.
“We have reached a stage where we advise developers to forgo generative AI at every phase of production. Some might assume it’s acceptable to use it as a mere placeholder during prototyping, believing it won’t make it to the final build. However, there is always a risk that it persists through to the release. Because of that, we must remain eternally vigilant, rooting out and eliminating these instances because it acts as a total malignancy within the creative process.”
Bender emphasized that this is not merely a “PR maneuver” designed to dodge the “cancel culture” associated with AI assets. His concerns are rooted deeply in ethics. While Kotaku did not feature direct quotes on this specific point, the publication noted that for Bender, it is a moral imperative centered on the fact that these tools are trained on the unauthorized use of human creativity.
In the comments following the original Kotaku report, many users observed a striking disparity in the industry, noting that “the indie community is currently at war with itself over AI, while massive studios quietly continue to leverage neural networks and sell millions of copies of franchises like Call of Duty and Battlefield.”
Source: iXBT.games
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