Starry Studio is the team behind the open-world survival, post-apocalyptic MMO game, Once Human. The NetEase Games-owned studio came under fire after it shared a 56-second GenAI-created promotional video featuring content unrelated to the game.
“The Desert Alert Camp reported a severe assault with multiple casualties. Recovered on-site recorders captured the incident,” read the caption.
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“This incident exceeds current understanding of the Devourer. The Committee has elevated its threat level. Do NOT approach the Devourer alone.
Current knowledge of the Devourer’s capabilities and behavior patterns is insufficient. To achieve effective containment, all units are requested to provide relevant information.”
Starry Studio launched the game on July 9, 2024. At its peak, Once Human attracted 231,668 concurrent players on Steam. At the time of writing, it had over 13,500 concurrent players, which is impressive for a title that is nearly 2 years old. The game still holds a Very Positive review on Steam.
Reactions trailing Starry Studio’s latest Once Human promotional
This is not the first time that Starry Studios has used GenAI video to promote its game. On March 20, an underwater footage to announce the arrival of The Devourer was created with generative AI. On March 21, the studio published another GenAI-created video in the form of a first-person shooter game.
Several fans of the game harshly criticized the studio in the comment section. For some, the latest GenAI promotional is the straw that will make them part ways with the game.
“Never played this game before, but now I know to avoid it, thanks,” wrote @culledbackfaces.
“Please, this game doesn’t even have a desert. Don’t you guys check any decking content that you put out? Especially if it’s AI,” wrote @Chimander_.
One of the harshest criticisms we read was from @_funchae who wrote, “I’m not touching any of your company’s games ever. if the word “games” can even be applied to your slop. and if i could refund the money I wasted on this one, I sure as hell would. every single buck.”
“I know yall making enough money from those lootboxes to create actual content instead of AI videos,” wrote @ultranuts227578.
The use of AI tools in any form of entertainment continues to attract backlash. The feeling appears more hostile in the gaming community. Steam even released an update that mandated developers to disclose if their games were made using AI tools.
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