Former Xbox Exclusive Apologizes For AI Contest Controversy

Party Animals studio, Recreate Games, has apologized for holding a generative AI video competition and has asked for players’ input on the future of the contest. As the name suggests, Party Animals is a party game that was first released as an Xbox exclusive in 2023 and has continued to see modest success over the years as a family-friendly online brawler. Players choose from a roster of difficult-to-control, top-heavy animals and try to knock the competition out before they fall fowl.

On May 13, 2026, Recreate Games posted that it would be holding an AI Video Contest with a prize pot totaling $75,000 in cash. Calling the competition its first contest centering on the use of generative AI, the studio asked people to produce videos no longer than five minutes using the software. Promoting the use of generative tools, the post reads, “In the past, ideas like these could only exist in your head. Now, with AI, they finally have a chance to become reality.” Party Animals players immediately took to the comments section to express their disapproval, saying that the competition devalues human effort and art. This type of discussion is common among game developers and players that push back against AI.

Party Animals Apologizes For AI Contest

The Party Animals studio took to Twitter to address what it describes as the discussion surrounding the AI contest. Recreate Games used the post to both apologize for upsetting fans of its game and for not communicating clearly with players before the start of the competition. The post claims that the studio wanted to base the competition on AI to “lower the barrier to creation,” suggesting that generative AI would allow people who don’t know how to edit, model, or animate to create videos. It goes on to compare AI to accessibility tools and says that the team was “not trying to dismiss handmade work or disrespect creators.”

Recreate Games then created a poll on the social media platform asking fans how, or if, the studio should move forward with the competition. The popular party game creators offered to cancel the AI video contest, change it into a non-AI competition, or keep the AI contest but also add a category for human art. The poll ended with approximately 58% of the almost 16,000 votes asking for the contest to be canceled. However, the comments were mixed, with many saying that they cannot support generative AI in any form, and others echoing statements like those of the Sony CEO claiming AI is a powerful creative tool.

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This is certainly not the first time that a game studio’s use or promotion of generative AI has caused controversy among its fanbase. Most recently, fans called out NTE: Neverness to Everness for the use of AI, and the studio admitted to using generative AI software to create background art and environmental assets. Hotta Studio said that it would replace the images and video that players had correctly identified as being produced by generative AI and promised that the team champions human creativity.

Who’s That Character?

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Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

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Despite how new generative AI tools in the tech space are, their use in game development has been controversial for several years. Even major publishers like Activision have admitted to using generative AI in Call of Duty, despite the huge number of artists and creatives employed at its studios. AI tools are constantly changing, and while it is still relatively easy for people to discern between generated images and human art, it will likely become more difficult to tell the difference in the future. It’s not uncommon for studios to refuse to disclose their use of AI until they receive backlash for it. It’s expected that companies will continue to use these software tools going forward.