Generative AI has been a controversial topic in gaming, prompting Steam in January 2024 to require developers to disclose use of the technology on their store pages. On Monday, Call of Duty news site CharlieIntel noticed that Activision had added such a disclaimer to the Call of Duty Steam page. The note simply reads: “Our team uses generative AI tools to help develop some in game assets.” It appears as though the disclaimer was added on Jan. 27 and simply escaped notice until recent reports.
Players have long held concerns that generative AI content was being used in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, with one notable example being a piece of art depicting a zombified Santa. This evil Claus had six fingers on one hand, an oddly shaped left hand, and a package that didn’t quite make sense.
This isn’t the first time that fans have spoken out about concerns on generative AI in gaming. In December 2024, developer The Indie Stone released a highly anticipated update for Project Zomboid, a popular zombie survival simulator. While fans were initially excited about the new features, that quickly turned into protests once players examined loading screen art and found clear signs of generative AI. The Indie Stone quickly removed the art, which ended the furor.
Players have become quick to raise the red flag if they believe generative AI has appeared in a popular title. Last year, League of Legends developers had to release a statement saying that an emote of the champion Samira with six fingers was not created by AI, but the mistake “slipped through” the editing process.
Polygon has reached out to Activision for comment on the specific uses of generative AI in Black Ops 6 and will update should we receive a response.
