Activision once again draws the ire of players for new Diablo Immortal marketing that appears to have been made with generative AI

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Supporters of Diablo Immortal have expressed disappointment over the incorporation of AI-generated content in the marketing campaign for the upcoming mobile version of the game. The official Diablo Immortal social media account recently posted a new image advertising the temporary collaboration with Hearthstone for an exclusive event, but some players are displeased due to the usage of AI in these promotional materials.

It seems Activision Blizzard underestimated the level of detail that gaming communities would examine in their marketing materials. Both Eurogamer and PC Gamer highlighted a Reddit post by user Ipyreable, who identified signs of a generative AI in the image on the Hearthstone subreddit as evidence of its artificial origin.

As an observer, I noted that the player had underscored concerns on the marketing image with bold red text. Specifically, they pointed out some anomalies: the male character on the left appeared to have an oddly shaped ear, his hand seemed to vanish mysteriously into the backdrop, and the moon charm on the right-featured character seemed distorted or warped.

Additionally, there were some unique elements. The candles didn’t have real fires burning, instead, they exhibited a peculiar wax melt design. Loaves of bread were scattered carelessly across the gaming table without any plates beneath them.

Instead of a typical playable card, it had an image of the Hearthstone game board on its surface, which was quite unusual compared to other cards.

Furthermore, additional promotional resources for the event, similarly shared across Blizzard’s social media outlets, contain images hinting at potential giveaways, which might have been produced by generative artificial intelligence, too.

As a researcher, I’m well aware that Activision Blizzard King has delved into the realm of generative AI in their gaming ventures. Previously, Blizzard found itself under scrutiny when they released an in-game skin, which was suspected to have been generated using AI by an artist known for such work. Although Blizzard never officially confirmed this, they did take action and removed the controversial skin from the game.

Activision has faced criticism from the Call of Duty fanbase regarding their utilization of artificial intelligence in promotional content. Specifically, for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, they offered AI-created images as rewards during special occasions and included them within premium item packages.

The disclosure policy of Steam prompted the publisher to announce publicly that the game’s creators employed generative AI during the production stages.

As a researcher examining the situation, it’s clear that for Activision Blizzard King, embracing AI doesn’t equate to surrender. Instead, it signifies a strategic move under the protective umbrella of Microsoft, a company that has unequivocally doubled down on artificial intelligence.

Microsoft has taken significant steps to cut down on employee numbers, with the aim of increasing investments in artificial intelligence that generates content. Meanwhile, Activision is openly advertising job opportunities for artists who are ready to integrate generative AI technology into their projects.

Corporations are hellbent on generative AI, even as problems with the practice mount

It’s logical that, given the substantial investment Microsoft has made in generative AI, they would encourage their employees to maximize its potential. Yet, overreliance on this technology might lead to backlash from a game’s player community.

Although AI can appear beneficial for creating intricate details like random textures that might escape many players’ notice, it also encounters various other possible problems.

Generative AI technology primarily takes pre-existing works and reorganizes them into something novel, yet it lacks the ability to generate entirely original content on its own. This means that copyright violations due to generative AI aren’t confined to just the artist whose work was first used as input; others could potentially be affected as well.

There currently aren’t any safeguards to shield original creators or prevent companies such as Activision Blizzard King from losing their copyrights over trademarked intellectual properties, once AI technology is employed for creating images based on these properties.

In spite of the unclear legal landscape, corporations such as Microsoft and OpenAI persistently argue for control over generative AI, emphasizing potential job losses due to advancements in artificial intelligence.

Regardless of the ambiguous legal situation, companies like Microsoft and OpenAI maintain their stance on acquiring generative AI technology, pointing out possible employment reductions caused by artificial intelligence progression.

Video games serve as a creative medium, expressing human narratives filled with human feelings derived from real-life situations, which current AI systems struggle to imitate convincingly.

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2025-07-30 13:39