Hotel Barcelona Apologizes for Using Generative AI
Some minor in-game content uses it, but will be replaced
Hotel Barcelona, the side-scrolling action game conceived by a partnership of Japanese game designers Swery65 and Suda51, has been available for a few days on consoles and PC. According to initial data, the title has received a decidedly lukewarm reception: on Steam, it has just over a hundred reviews, of which only 56% are positive. Furthermore, according to SteamDB, very few players are reported on Valve's platform: 137 concurrently at launch, a number that dropped to around thirty in less than a week.
AI-generated assets
Some secondary content in Hotel Barcelona, particularly recorded voices and assets related to VHS tapes found only in New Game +, were created using generative artificial intelligence, which had not been promptly indicated on the Steam page, as required. Publisher Cult Games has released a statement, where it apologizes for the incident, calling it a mistake.
Cult Games declares itself against any implementation of AI with a disproportionate impact on the environment, that takes away human jobs, or that draws on data unethically. The publisher is collaborating with developer White Owls to replace the offending content with human-made alternatives; in the meantime, with a disclaimer, it has duly noted on the game's page the things that were generated by AI.