11 bit studios2025 sci-fi game The Alters is coming under fire as players unearth undisclosed use of Artificial Intelligence across a number of visual assets, lines of translated text, and more.
Polish developers 11 Bit Studios released The Alters on June 13, and early reception has been mostly positive. It currently sits with a score of 84 on MetaCritic and has a Very Positive label on Steam based on roughly 6,000 player reviews.
Many are enjoying the game for its unique cloning-based design, wherein players make duplicates of the protagonist in order to survive on a hostile planet. However, some have begun to spot some cracks in the experience.
On June 24, one player shared an image that suggested AI was used during the game’s development. In fact, the picture revealed an asset that still had an AI generator’s response at the very top. Now, more instances are appearing online, with some left furious at the studio for not disclosing the use of generative tools.
The Alters under fire for not disclosing AI use
The first instance was spotted on a background asset. Where in other sci-fi games, like say, a Dead Space, computer screens littering the Ishimura may be covered in random text, here, it doesn’t appear a human has made said random text for The Alters.
One translucent terminal is intended to display Astrophysical Observations. Before the actual scientific data, however, the first line reads just like a response from an AI program.
“Sure, here’s a revised version focusing purely on scientific and astronomical data,” the line reads before then delivering a smattering of technical information on a fictional voyage through the Andromeda galaxy.
BlueSky: vysetron.pixeldieAnother example came from a Portuguese-speaking player who observed quirks with the game’s localization. Once again, it appears the initial response from a generative AI tool has been kept in. “Claro!” a line of dialogue reads in their local language. “Of course!” it translates to in English. “Of course! The text translated into Brazilian Portuguese is…”
Now, what’s crucial to note among all of this is that The Alters does not disclose any use of AI. Since January of 2024, it has been a requirement on Steam for developers to confirm whether AI was used in any capacity.
Backlash has been widespread, with some questioning just how big a role AI played in localizing the game for any number of regions.
BlueSky: zitosilvaLocalization Specialist Lucile Danilov chimed in on LinkedIn (as first spotted by Eurogamer), calling the matter a “disgrace.”
“Seriously, leaving parts of an AI prompt in the lockit?! Talk about spitting in the face of your international audience.”
In the replies, Handon Ryu, translator for the Korean version of The Alters, admitted “the same issue exists in the Korean version as well.”
“While no AI prompt has been exposed, I can confirm that the same section of the Korean localization shows clear signs of having been run through a [Large Language Model] without proper editing.”
Devs address AI use in The Alters
11 Bit Studios addressed the controversy head-on in a June 30, 2025 statement shared across social media. “We feel it’s important to clarify our approach and give you more context,” devs said.
The team confirmed AI-generated assets were indeed used throughout the game’s development, however, they were intended to be “temporary [works in progress].”
“Our team has always prioritized meaningful, handcrafted storytelling as one of the foundations of our game.”
Touching on the first example, of the on-screen scientific data, 11 Bit Studios claimed “this was never intended to be part of the final release.”
After examining other assets, the studio claims to have confirmed it was an “isolated case” and that particular asset is being tweaked as a result.
In regard to the translated text, the team didn’t deny AI use once again. In this case, it pertained to a handful of “externally produced” moments that 11 Bit Studios claimed to have not been involved with directly. These moments were allegedly added at the “last minute.”
“Due to extreme time constraints, we chose not to involve our translation partners and had these localized using AI to have them ready on launch. It was always our intention to involve our trusted translation agencies after release. That process is now underway and updated translations are being implemented.”
Ultimately, the devs were apologetic, believing their decisions were “the wrong call.” But above all, they admitted that “no matter what we decided, we should have simply let you know.”