Fortnite fans spot AI slop in new season as Epic Games CEO defends AI in game development

Gamers Say There's AI Slop in the New Season of Fortnite

"A billion-dollar company should have no problem supporting real artists for real art." As the game rolls out a major new update, fans are accusing Fortnite of now containing shoddy AI slop. The claims began over the weekend. On the r/FortNiteBR subreddit dedicated to the battle royale shooter, some gamers posted screenshots of in-game art that appeared to be the work of an AI model. A poster for a made-up movie called "Mile High Retreat," for example, shows a yeti with five toes on one foot, and four toes on another -- a telltale sign of shoddy AI content. "Say 'No' to AI slop," a highly upvoted post in the Reddit forum fumed. "A billion-dollar company should have no problem supporting real artists for real art." Moderators put up an entire megathread dedicated to the controversy. In a poll attached to the thread, over 80 percent of respondents said that AI content "doesn't belong in Fortnite or other video games." While nothing's been confirmed yet, the timing is notable. Just last week, Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, which owns Fortnite, complained about the video game storefront Steam's policy that requires developers to disclose if their products use AI-generated content. In sum, he felt that Steam was unfairly singling out AI usage, which he claims is already essential to game development. "The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation," Sweeney tweeted last week. "It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production." Later, Sweeney mocked the idea of AI disclosures outright. "Why stop at AI use? We could have mandatory disclosures for what shampoo brand the developer uses," he sneered. "Customers deserve to know lol." At least one of the AI accusations appears to be wrong. After more obvious-seeming AI-slop like the nine-toed yeti made rounds, the ensuing wave of paranoia turned on an anime-style image of Marty McFly from "Back to the Future." Some said it looked "Ghiblified," referring to the popular trend of using AI to produce images imitating the anime studio's iconic style, which OpenAI kicked off earlier this year. But the illustrator behind the image, Sean Dove, cleared the air on Instagram, saying that it was a hand drawn creation -- though he conceded that the wonky-looking clocks in the background may have been AI because they were taken from stock images. The Fortnite update also brought with it a new emote with music that some are saying is also AI-generated, though the case for this one is also uncertain. The k-pop style track, "Latata," shares the same name of a hit song released by the actual girl group i-dle over seven years ago, and features suspiciously fake-looking album art. It's a muddy situation, in other words -- but if one thing's clear, it's that AI-generated imagery has permanently eroded people's trust in what's real, often to the detriment of flesh and blood artists.

Fortnite fans are saying "no to AI slop" after spotting what they believe are AI-generated images in-game

Fortnite fans are saying "no to AI slop" after some believe they've discovered AI-generated images in Epic's tentpole battle royale game. In a Reddit post entitled "Say 'No' to AI slop, a billion-dollar company should have no problem supporting real artists for real art", Fortnite players have shared their thoughts on a number of alleged AI-generated images, including in-game posters and sprays, with some suggesting a boycott. So far, over three thousand posters have upvoted the message. Another Reddit post shares an in-game poster showing what's thought to be a Yeti with nine toes. "I only want AI for mundane tasks that slow down development, not creative elements," said one unhappy player. "Naturally, corporations want AI for everything so they don't have to employ a workforce." Is this Chapter 7 art AI generated? byu/Thready704 inFortNiteBR "It doesn't matter if not everyone is going to see it or use it that doesn't stop the fact that generative AI is horrible for the environment, steals from artists and just generally looks bad," posited someone else. "It's just lazy especially considering that the poster head is completely optional." "If people don't take a collective stance against AI, then don't be surprised when future skins, music, and other things are significantly crappier because they're made by AI," the OP added. Say "No" to AI slop. A billion-dollar company should have no problem supporting real artists for real art. byu/RingtailVT inFortNiteBR The discoveries come just days after Epic boss Tim Sweeney suggested requiring developers to disclose whether or not generative AI has been used during the making of a game "makes no sense". Sweeney made the remarks responding to a social media post by a former Unreal Engine developer who uses generative AI in his motion capture work and suggested "Steam and all digital marketplaces need to drop the 'Made with AI' label. It doesn't matter any more". "Agreed," agreed Sweeney. "The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production." 10.5 million players logged on to see Fortnite's Chapter 6 finale, with another three million clocking in via livestreams. To celebrate, Epic's pulled back the covers on Chapter 7: Pacific Break, revealing new map locations, new gameplay, Simple Build, and battle pass goodies.

The War On AI Slop Comes To Fortnite - Kotaku

Season 7 is already facing questions of what's gen AI and what's not Fortnite's mega popular Simpsons event is over and season 7 is now officially live in the battle royale. The victory lap for one of the game's biggest months in a while has been short-lived, however. No sooner did the new update go live then fans started side-eyeing some of the new sprays, music, and art in the game wondering if its AI generated. The latest slop witchhunt comes just days after Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney came out arguing against storefront disclaimers for games that use AI. Season 7 features a new battle pass with cameos from The Bride from Kill Bill and Marty McFly from Back to the Future. In keeping with this loose ode to classic cinema, the game also now features new posters and sprays that some players think look suspiciously like they might be at least partly the work of gen AI. "Did Fortnite use AI to make this poster?" is now the question ricocheting around social media. At the center of the debate is a yeti poster, a Back to the Future spray, a tomatohead talk show billboard, and a new emote song in the battle pass called "Latata." Unlike most of the backlashes to AI we've seen in gaming however, this one is based more on vibes than obvious tells. There's not yet any clear evidence that gen-AI was used and Epic Games hasn't officially commented on the controversy yet. But the sheer association with the slop aesthetic has already blown up into some calls to boycott the season. The debate has gotten so messy that r/FortNiteBR, which features over 1 million active users, has already created a dedicated mega thread to stop it from consuming the rest of the subreddit. In addition to calls for commenters to stay "civil," there's also an informal poll asking for players' positions on the use of AI in games. Nearly 2,000 respondents said AI has no place in any game. Only 4 percent said they had no issues with generative AI being used in gaming. At least one of the artists whose work was involved in season 7 has come out rejecting the AI accusations. Sean Dove, a freelancer who goes by andthankyou on Instagram, responded after his Marty McFly spray became one of the witchhunt's targets. "I guess someone on Reddit thinks this is AI," Dove wrote. "I think the culprit is a clock in the background." The face clock in question has incorrect numbers. The artist said he grabbed a bunch of clock images from an image search to collage them. "It's entirely possible I grabbed an AI clock an wasn't paying attention," he wrote. Dove followed up with a time-lapse image of making the spray. It's a perfect example of how poisoned the well has become. On the one hand you have people so suspicious of slop being forced on them that they are pointing fingers everywhere without proof. On the other hand, you have an artist potentially unknowingly introducing AI into their work simply by using random online references for household objects. The cloud hanging over Fortnite in particular was made darker by recent comments from Epic's boss. He recently argued against AI disclosures on Steam and other storefronts. “The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation,â€Â Sweeney wrote on X last week. “It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production.†When another user on the platform alleged that Epic might already be using gen-AI for coding its Unreal Engine, the executive denied the claim. "I just hate to see Valve confiscate ever more opportunity from small developers by facilitating new categories cancel campaigns and review bombing," he wrote. "Steam used to just facilitate downloads. Then they foreclosed on payments, then price competition, then crypto, now AI." Sweeney's bullishness on generative AI is the spark that's helping to fuel skepticism about its latest season. After all, if the CEO of a company tells you gen-AI will be involved in "nearly all future production" and thinks that fact shouldn't have to be disclosed, it's not a huge leap to wonder if that's already having. No wonder some players just want to be done with the whole thing rather than having to become a part-time internet forensic whenever their favorite game introduces new art, music, or voices that sound slightly off.

Fortnite Chapter 7 kicks off with artist defending their work from AI allegations, probably not helped by Epic CEO's recent prediction that "AI will be involved in nearly all future production" of games

A number of assets in Chapter 7 Season 1 have come under scrutiny Fortnite's latest season is here, marking the start of the battle royale's seventh chapter, but some players are concerned that certain assets found in the latest update could be AI-generated, a worry that one artist has already responded to to defend their work. As highlighted across social media, several assets have come under scrutiny - one of which is a poster featuring a yeti who has five toes on one foot and four on the other. "I can't tell if this is AI-generated, but the odd number of toes makes me think so," a Reddit user writes, sharing a screenshot. "I really hope it isn't AI!" Elsewhere, an in-game poster featuring a tomato-headed talk show presenter has also been called into question, with one player asking: "Did Fortnite use AI to make this poster?" While there hasn't yet been an official response to these AI allegations, one artist has stepped forward after a spray cosmetic he designed came under scrutiny. The spray in question - titled 'Looking McFly' - stars Marty McFly and can be unlocked in the new Battle Pass, and quickly saw players questioning how it was made. "Am I losing it or does this Fortnite spray look like it was AI-generated?" one player asks, while another writes: "This HAS to be AI, right???" However, in this case, artist Sean Dove says that's not the case. "I guess someone on Reddit thinks this was AI," he writes in a post on Instagram. "I think the culprit is a clock in the background. I grabbed some clocks off image search, collaged them, and halftoned them. The numbers are bad, entirely possible I grabbed an AI clock an wasn't paying attention." Backing up his point further, he shares another Instagram post, this time showing the various different layers of the artwork in art software Procreate. "I don't have a Reddit account but just in case people are being weird, here's my procreate layers," he adds. Regardless of the accuracy of the AI accusations, it's little wonder that players are applying a little extra scrutiny to Fortnite right now following recent comments made by Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney. The CEO has recently been calling for the removal of Steam's "AI tag" - the disclosure added onto games on Steam that make it clear if AI was used in the development of a title, and if so, in what ways. He stated that "it makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production," and later doubled down, adding: "I just hate to see Valve confiscate ever more opportunity from small developers by facilitating new categories, cancel campaigns, and review bombing." We've reached out to Epic Games to ask if AI was used to generate any assets in Fortnite Chapter 7: Season 1, and will update this article if we receive a response.

Fortnite Artist Responds as Fans Claim Game Now Includes Examples of Blatant AI Artwork, Including a Nine-Toed Character in a Hammock - IGN

A Fortnite artist has been forced to defend their work after fans suggested numerous images found within the game's new season are AI-generated, including a suspicious-looking poster showing a character in a hammock with an odd number of toes. Last night, freelance artist Sean Dove took to Instagram in response to fan claims that his Studio Ghibli-style depiction of Back to the Future hero Marty McFly was the product of AI generation. Dove, a frequent Fortnite collaborator, showed off his manual process for drawing the image. But while he drew the Ghibli-esque main character himself, Dove admitted he may still have inadvertantly included AI elements in the background. "I guess someone on reddit thinks this was AI," Dove wrote. "I think the culprit is a clock in the background. I grabbed some clocks off image search, collaged them, and halftoned them. The numbers are bad, entirely possible I grabbed an AI clock and wasn't paying attention." And while Dove has personally responded, Fortnite developer Epic Games has so far remained silent on the topic, as fans on reddit create numerous threads pointing out other examples of images they think show signs of AI generation. (IGN contacted Epic Games for this story, but did not receive a comment back.) Most egregious, according to fans, is an in-game poster for a location named Mile High Retreat. The image shows a pair of legs sticking out from a hammock, with five toes visible on one foot and four visible on another. Another in-game poster being scrutinized by fans depicts the game's glassy-eyed Tomatohead character as the host of Sauce Talk, a Hollywood-style chat show. And there's discussion too around a mysterious song, Latata, set to be used in an upcoming emote. The music does not appear to come from a recognizable source, though some fans have suggested the audio has been sourced from stock music, rather than anything specifically AI-made. Amid all the confusion, and lack of clarification from Epic Games itself, what's clear is that Fortnite fans are keen to push back against the perception of AI art usage within the game. An enormous thread on reddit is tracking every example where players have doubts of images being made by human hands, and searching for more. "Awful decision," wrote one player. "I hope it gets amended. As others have said, the art and style of this damn game is one of the main reasons we love it. Generative AI has no place in it." "I thought things like Darth Vader were cool, using AI to achieve something that simply wouldn't be possible without it," another fan wrote. "But, that was the only case so far that I've genuinely found neat. Creating art is something humans, and especially Epic due to their money and resources, are very capable of doing." Epic Games is no stranger to AI technology, of course, having previously used generative speech technology to reproduce James Earl Jones' Darth Vader portrayal. But despite having the rights and approval of Disney, the character's inclusion proved controversial, especially as players quickly began making Vader say things more aligned with the dark side of the Force. Last week, Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney suggested that Valve should ditch Steam's AI Generated Content Disclosure label for games, as he believes AI use will become so ubiquitous it will make any warning redundant. "Why stop at AI use?" Sweeney wrote on social media. "We could have mandatory disclosures for what shampoo brand the developer uses. Customers deserve to know lol. "It doesn't matter any more," he continued. "The AI tag is relevant to art exhibits for authorship disclosure, and to digital content licensing marketplaces where buyers need to understand the rights situation. It makes no sense for game stores, where AI will be involved in nearly all future production." Speaking of AI artwork, boot up Fortnite anytime recently and you'll be greeted by a menu screen with dozens, if not hundreds, of user-made experiences that use AI artwork for their thumbnails, something Epic Games has previously said it is pointless to police, as technology rapidly improves to the point where AI images become almost impossible to distinguish. Indeed, if nothing else, the whole matter has simply highlighted the increasing difficulty in 2025 of being able to tell what is AI-generated, and what is not.