Blizzard Faces Backlash Over Suspected AI-Generated Art in Diablo Immortal x Hearthstone Event

Fans are once again accusing Activision Blizzard of using AI-generated art in Diablo Immortal x Hearthstone event marketing materials

Another day, another AI-generated "slop" accusation, this time against Blizzard and its upcoming Diablo Immortal x Hearthstone crossover event. In a thread on Reddit, later picked up by PC Gamer, redditor Ipyreable believes they've spotted an image with telltales signs of generative AI. At the time of writing, over 4,400 people have upvoted the post. Given Hearthstone's fantasy leanings, it would be fair to presume a make-believe world embodies mystical things that don't align with the real world we live in, but I don't think there's many people who'd be prepared to defend an ear with three conchas (yes, I did indeed have to look that word up. You're welcome). Appending an image with several questionable features, including a hand that fades into a wall, mirrored/reversed card art, and that strange ear, of course, the OP wrote: "Guess $158 pets aren't enough to pay an artist to draw the image for their colab lmao". The $158 refers to Hearthstone's first ever cosmetic pet, King Krush, which is locked behind a "gambling mechanism" which requires you to spend your real life money. "Well, let's keep calling them out for this shit. If they're not going to pay artists, users are going to grumble. That's just how it is as well," said one player, to which another replied: "Less grumbling, and more 'stop buying things with real money'. Can do both, but the latter is the only thing that gets brought up in yearly budget meetings with the money goblins." "The sad reality is that most users won't notice or care much at all," said someone else. "It's better to focus on supporting companies and creators who make their own shit. Easier to get people excited for something new rather than try to diminish their attachment to something comfortable and familiar." Activision Blizzard has yet to comment publicly on the accusations and, at the time of writing, the artwork remains online. At the start of the month, Microsoft announced around 9000 employees would be laid off, including roughly 200 staff from King. Now, in a new report, sources state King is reportedly replacing laid off staff with AI tools they helped to build.

Fans Think Blizzard May Be Using AI Art Again (And They're Not Happy)

If you're a Diablo and Heartstone fan, exciting news! There's a crossover event on the way. But in actuality, you might be too distracted by the likely fact that AI-generated art was used (again) to create promotional materials. Fans have taken to social media to point out what looks to be tell-tale signs of slop. It's pretty convincing. But here's the thing: even if this isn't AI, or wasn't produced entirely by AI, the fact that we're reflexively scanning the minutiae of various images speaks to the state of fear this rampant technology is instilling in us. No bueno. Over on Reddit, a surging post on r/hearthstone (ht to our comrades over at Endlessmode) documents the AI crimes apparently on display in this promotional art. Have a look: A weird ear formation, a hand that seemingly blends into the wall, and odd occurrences of other objects melting into other things all point to the likelihood that this image, at least in part, was created by AI. To play the contrarian that I am for a brief moment, I've spent enough time in Photoshop to know that quick comp work that's often done on a tight deadline due to corporate demands can produce similar effects. Assets get borrowed from previous work, and how layers intersect with one another isn't always paid direct attention to. Kotaku has reached out to Blizzard to verify whether or not the image is AI, but did not hear back prior to publication. When humans produce similarly weird things, it's usually an oversight, and that does happen more often than you probably think in marketing. When AI does it, it's because it doesn't understand the image it's creating. It's just using patterns of pixels it digested from gobbling up other people's art. As many folks have pointed out, another reason why it's highly likely that this is produced by AI is that Microsoft owns Blizzard by way of its Activision purchase a couple of years ago, and Microsoft loves AI. And it's particularly sucky, as Hearthstone fans have highlighted, that the game "prides itself on its artwork." Swim around in this same Reddit comment thread, or elsewhere on the internet, and you'll find some pushback to fans' concerns. These people's counterarguments essentially boil down to, "Who cares?" Or that some people just always need something to complain about, and AI is just another thing for folks to score virtue points on the internet with. To that, I'd say not so fast. It's so obvious that AI has been created and deployed specifically to eliminate labor (and with seemingly zero concern for the potentially irreversible energy impact on our dying planet, Cloud), that it's not just about weird melty hands and odd ear physiology. It's about what those things represent, what message this medium is communicating to those of us who value humanity in the artistic process or desire to become masters of art forms ourselves, that companies with massive power are doing what they can to restrict our abilities to sustain our lives, emotionally or financially, with said art. This art, if it is indeed created by AI, tells us that our creations don't have value and that those who make them are no longer needed. You can be indifferent to that, but it is what's being said, and it is not the world many of us wish to live in.

Activision Blizzard under fire for alleged use of AI art in new Diablo x Hearthstone collab

Activision Blizzard has been accused of using AI-generated art to promote its upcoming collaboration between mobile title Diablo Immortal and Hearthstone. The Heroes of the Hearth event runs from the 30th of July to the 27th of August, and sees powerful Hearthstone cards make their way to Sanctuary. Also, if you take part in the event you get an additional card back in Hearthstone. The event itself isn't that controversial, but the art it uses certainly is. A while back, Redditor lpyreable posted an image with signs pointing to it being AI-generated. This post has garnered a lot of attention in the days since it first made its way online, and now a lot of fans are choosing to stop purchasing items in either game, or are choosing to spend their money on creators that don't use generative AI. Activision Blizzard is still yet to respond to the allegations, but it's unlikely every user is going to care. The thing about generative AI and AI "art" is that as it becomes more commonplace and trickier to spot, it'll be ignored and accepted by most, and it could become the new norm to save money spent on real artists for big companies like Activision Blizzard.

Blizzard's latest AI art controversy suggests the big game studios will never learn

You would think big studios might have got the message by now, but Blizzard Entertainment appears to have just been caught by the AI police AGAIN. And the case shows there's no better way to drive the conversation away from a product than the use of AI art. What is Diablo Immortal X Hearthstone? Who cares? The only thing people are saying is that the promotional artwork is AI slop (see our guide to the best game development software for your own work). If you're wondering, the Heroes of the Hearth is a limited-time Blizzard event intended to celebrate two of the game studio's major franchises: Diablo Immortal and Hearthstone. Running from tomorrow (30 July) until 27 August, it allows Diablo Immortal players to collect themed cosmetics, pets and abilities and Hearthstone-themed cards. But gamers are more interested in picking apart the promotional art. On X, users have noted strange artifacts in objects, from bread floating on the table, a mirrored card, candles with no flame and even a character whose ear had three conchas. No wonder no artist is credited. Blizzard hasn't commented on the latest accusations, but fans are disappointed considering Blizzard's long tradition of using authentic artwork. Hearthstone is particularly known for its stylized, almost cartoonish fantasy art. "Is this AI generated, FFS? One of the things I enjoy about Hearthstone is the proper art of cards, hero skins, card backs," one person wrote on X. "Using AI art to advertise their casino disguised as a game may not be a new low for Blizzard, but it's certainly disappointing," another person wrote. The criticism comes shortly after Microsoft, which owns Blizzard, announced 9,000 job cuts. Players are inevitably worried that this is a new sign that AI is being use to compensate for the jobs lost in design and marketing, and some are suggesting the only way to make a difference is to ensure the company sees a downturn in sales. For more AI news, see the latest features released in today's Photoshop update.