The issue of AI being used for animation and art in video games has become a topic of great concern in the gaming community, and recently the conversation has extended to theLeague of Legendsfranchise. After the success ofLoL-basedNetflix showArcane, which featured literal award-winning animation talent, players are confounded as to why they’re seeing AI in a newLeague of Legendsclip.
League of Legendsplayers onRedditare havingscathing reactions to a cinematic forWild Riftthat features AI-generated content, with users likeCloud_N0nequestioning the decision when"Riot has access to one of the best animation studios the world has ever seen."
You can watch the controversial video containing AI-generated content thanks toAroushTheKween, though it was removed from the official channels it was released on initially, with Riot issuing the following apology.
League Of Legends Faces Intense Fan Backlash After AI Cinematic
Fans Don’t Like AI Being Used Over The Incredible Talent Available
The fact that AI was used in this officialLeague of Legendscinematic istroubling for the community and for the gaming world writ large.It’s a sign that AI is being chosen over humans in critical fields such as animation and game design, even after successes such as theArcaneseries, which was wildly popular and didn’t use AI.
It isn’t just that human-generated content is typically preferred by audiences and players, but also thatLeague of Legendshasan incredible pool of talentwithin reach and would still choose to promote AI content. It’s a slap in the face to the artists and animators who worked onpreviousLeague of Legendscontent.
The choice to use AI so brazenly alsocomes off as deceitful to fans. It’s as if the studio is trying to “get one past them” without fans noticing that AI was used instead of human talent.
What Fans Are Saying About LoL’s AI Use
There’s No Love For AI Content In The League Of Legends Subreddit
As you’d probably expect,League of Legendsplayers on Reddit havenot reacted fondly towards the AI cinematic in question. The aforementioned Cloud_N0ne refers to it as"AI slop,“while userDangerous_Jacket_129points out that, while it might have saved the studio a bit of time,“it genuinely looks terrible.“And these are some of the nicer comments.
UserXcalistersays the content looks like a"kpop demon hunter copyright infringement,“while others point out that it’s shameful the video made it to publication at all. Overall, it’s clear that fans haven’t taken kindly to the use of AI inLeague of Legends, or games in general for that matter.
