"The Alters": Players find AI answers in texts and translations

For the sci-fi game “The Alters”, some texts and subtitles for translations were apparently generated using AI. This is confirmed by screenshots from players. The chatbot that apparently created the texts can still be found in some texts.

“Sure, here's a revised version that only focuses on scientific and astronomical data,” can be read at one point, for example, before a logbook entry scrolls across an in-game screen. Such AI remnants can also be found in the subtitles of the Portuguese translation. The games magazine Eurogamer has compiled some examples.

Missing reference to the use of AI

Reactions in the community about the use of AI in “The Alters” vary widely: many justifiably note that the offending logbook, for example, only scrolls across a virtual screen in the background to add to the atmosphere. The text is therefore just decoration and not really intended to be read attentively – is actually a suitable use for a text generator. It's certainly better than “Lorem Ipsum” placeholders, argues one user.

Players have less understanding of the chatbot remnants in translations – and the implication that these translations were generated by AI. In addition, there is simply no indication that AI-generated content is included in “The Alters” at all. Since the beginning of 2024, developers have had to disclose on Steam whether their titles include AI content. Since then, we know that AI has helped in the development of several Call of Duty games. However, this information is missing for “The Alters”.

Sci-fi game with clones

Some developers are critical of Steam's AI label because of a possible stigma: they are afraid that their games could be penalized across the board or classified as inferior because of the label. One user in the Subreddit for game developers, for example, argues that it is the result that counts. According to a survey by the Game Developers Conference, 36 percent of game developers use AI in their job.

“The Alters” was developed by the Polish 11 Bit Studios and tells a sci-fi story in which players have to survive on an uninhabited planet with various alternative clone versions of the main character. The game has been extremely well received by gamers and the trade press: The review aggregator OpenCritic calculates that 93 percent of critics recommend the game. On Steam, 88 percent of 6000 user reviewers give the game the thumbs up. The developers have not yet commented on their approach to AI.

(dahe)