GOG Says Game Banner Ad Was Made With AI But Claims It Was Shared By Mistake

Last week, digital PC gaming storefront Good Old Games (GOG) found itself at the center of online controversy after users claimed a banner ad for a big sales event was created using AI tools. The firestorm only grew larger when a GOG employee seemingly confirmed the ad was created using AI. However, GOG wouldn’t confirm with Kotaku how the banner ad was made. But it has since explained the situation to paying supporters in a private Discord server.

On February 2, Kotaku received a screenshot of a message addressing the New Year Sale AI-generated banner situation that was posted in the official GOG Patron Discord server earlier in the day. This is a special Discord server created by GOG for fans who pay $5 a month to be a part of the store’s Patron program, which lets them talk to other like-minded users while helping to guide the future of the store and being credited when old games are saved.

In the message, a GOG employee with the username Arthur Slay confirmed that the banner was made “with the help of AI tools” but claimed it was still a “work-in-progress” and wasn’t meant to be displayed on the store publicly. Kotaku believes this user is a GOG marketing employee, Arthur Dejardin.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” posted Arthur Slay. “We failed on at least two levels: Quality-control of the asset that landed on the front page, and then reacting quickly enough when we noticed the error.”

Arthur further said that GOG hears all the “disappointment” and acknowledged that it’s “a sensitive topic for many of you.” As for why they used AI tools? Arthur says GOG has been testing different “technologies” ever since the store was founded. “Some experiments are successful, and some (like this banner) are not.” Arthur added: “Exploring various tech gives us the reach of a much larger team, so we never have to settle for doing less.”

“I also want to be honest about how we chose to explore technology,” posted Arthur. “We don’t have the infinite resources of the industry giants. We’re a dedicated, but small team, working our asses off every day for game preservation. To keep that mission alive, bring more games back to life, and make more games DRM-free, we experiment with tools that can allow us to do more with the limited hands we have.”

On January 30, after the ad was called out online in numerous places, GOG told Kotaku via email that it was unable to “comment publicly on our internal processes or tools.” Kotaku has contacted GOG about this Discord message and why the store didn’t share these details with us last week.

Here is the full message from the private Discord as shared with Kotaku:

Hi everyone, I’d like to address the case of our recent New Year Sale banner.

First of all, regarding the quality of the asset: This banner was a work-in-progress asset that we mistakenly allowed to be displayed on the storefront. This shouldn’t have happened. We failed on at least two levels: Quality-control of the asset that landed on the front page, and then reacting quickly enough when we noticed the error.
Second, I want to confirm that this WIP asset was indeed made with the help of Al tools. We hear your disappointment with the use of this technology, and see that it’s a sensitive topic for many of you.

I also want to be honest about how we chose to explore technology: We don’t have the infinite resources of the industry giants. We’re a dedicated, but small team, working our asses off every day for game preservation. To keep that mission alive, bring more games back to life, and make more games DRM-free, we experiment with tools that can allow us to do more with the limited hands we have.

We’ve been testing different technologies since our beginnings. Some experiments are successful, and some (like this banner) are not. Exploring various tech gives us the reach of a much larger team, so we never have to settle for doing less.

Lastly, I’m aware that some of you have concerns about a GOG team member leaving the Patrons Discord server. Please understand that in heated moments, people sometimes need to step back for their own well-being. That was a personal decision, and we respect it.

Thank you, everyone,
Arthur