The Alters developer 11 bit Studios recently admitted to using generative AI during the game's development. Following criticism from eagle-eyed observers, the company announced plans to remove the AI-generated content in upcoming hotfixes.
Soon after the space survival game's release, users noticed a response to a chatbot prompt in a piece of background text, indicating that a writer or artist copied and pasted a large language model's output without oversight or proofreading. Although the detail was barely noticeable, it sparked a hunt for other signs of AI-generated assets, which quickly emerged in the non-English subtitles.
We've seen a wide range of accusations regarding the use of AI-generated content in The Alters, and we feel it's important to clarify our approach and give you more context. AI-generated assets were used strictly as temporary WIPs during the development process and in a very… pic.twitter.com/Me9oyABOrZ
– The Alters | OUT NOW (@altersgame) June 30, 2025
Another chatbot response prompt was later discovered in the Brazilian Portuguese subtitles, suggesting that 11 bit also relied on AI there instead of paying human translators. However, a statement from a translator directed suspicion toward a scheduling mishap.
Handong Ryu, who handled most of the Korean translation, found the same prompt in the same line in the subtitles for that language, suspecting that the company merely used an LLM to translate additional dialogue late in development. According to Ryu, Korean players responded harshly.
The Alters launched to critical acclaim and currently holds a "Very Positive" rating on Steam with over 6,000 reviews. However, many are upset that the Steam page doesn't mention the presence of GenAI, which Valve has mandated since January.
Did The Alters (captain) use a little bit of AI?
byu/EarthlingKira inTheAlters
In an official statement, 11 bit Studios claimed that the AI-generated background text is a placeholder mistakenly left in the final code, which would explain the lack of a disclaimer on the Steam page. The company also confirmed that this is the only such case in the game.
However, 11 bit also admitted to using an LLM to translate subtitles for licensed movies contained within The Alters. Since the company contracted their creation late in development, it implemented temporary AI translations with plans to replace them in a post-launch update, which will also correct the placeholder text. Because 11 bit intentionally left the material in the launch-day version, it presumably should have warranted a Steam page disclaimer. Furthermore, simply using a machine translator like Google Translate, while no less problematic, wouldn't have left behind a GenAI prompt.
The Alters is only the latest example of gamers discovering undisclosed AI-generated material. In February, Activision was caught charging for AI-generated cosmetics in Call of Duty. Black Ops 6's Steam page now contains a disclaimer; Modern Warfare 3's still doesn't. Frontier Developments also pledged to remove GenAI art from Jurassic World Evolution 3 following fan backlash earlier this month.