GOG Under Fire From Customers and Even One of Its Own Employees After Users Call Out 'Fully AI' Sale Image

DRM-free PC storefront GOG.com has travel nether occurrence for promoting a merchantability with a 'fully AI' image, sparking a backlash from customers and adjacent a subordinate of the company's staff.

A fewer days back, an eagle-eyed GOG idiosyncratic noticed that an representation connected the beforehand leafage of the site's storefront contained galore telltale signs of generative AI, including a weirdly old-fashioned TV and what appears to beryllium thing similar a Super Nintendo console strategy melting onto a table, which is simply a unusual representation so for a website selling PC games. As 1 Redditor joked, "[This is] maine aft I blast my NES with a vigor weapon for six hours and settee successful to look astatine the broadside illustration of my 50 year-old-TV."

"Using AI creation similar this feels straight astatine likelihood with the full crushed I bargain things from their storefront to statesman with," wrote 1 unhappy commenter. "Deeply disappointing, and volition astir apt clasp disconnected connected buying from GOG for the foreseeable aboriginal due to the fact that of it." Another added: "As agelong arsenic GOG is utilizing generative AI images oregon coding I volition ne'er bargain different crippled from their site. This is highly disappointing. It goes wholly against my values and the worth of quality creation preservation I attraction astir GOG for. I'm not budging connected this."

IMAGE CREDIT: REDDIT / GOG.COM.

Not everyone cares, though. "Downvote arsenic overmuch arsenic you want. I don't attraction they utilized AI generated images," wrote 1 player. "This crusade against AI volition execute nothing. Sooner oregon aboriginal AI volition shrink the occupation markets for radical who works astatine a table (like myself). Most of america volition person to find different sources of income."

Another idiosyncratic who does look to person an contented with it, however, is simply a subordinate of GOG's ain plan team. Tagged arsenic an authoritative subordinate of unit connected GOG's ain forum (thanks, GamingonLinux), elder graphic decorator "Kosmiczna Pluskwa" commented connected the banner image, and confirmed that the "current merchantability banner is afloat AI."

Before giving their thoughts connected the drama, they took large pains to stress that they were "not a institution spokesperson," that they were commenting "because I personally privation to, not due to the fact that it's my work oregon anyone asks maine to bash that," stressing: "That besides means I person nary PR grooming and besides what I accidental it's my sentiment not company's stance oregon anything."

"My squad is overmuch smaller present than it utilized to be, and the requirements for the relation are wholly antithetic than it utilized to be," they explained, appending a occupation statement from astir 5 years ago.

"I person a batch of beardown feelings connected AI successful selling creation — and successful wide of course, but selling creation [is] the closest to my heart," they added. "Just 5ish [years] agone everything you'd spot was thing idiosyncratic has spent clip on, adjacent if it wasn't the best, truthful it was worthy being looked astatine — for maine astatine least.

"Maybe it doesn't substance immoderate store enactment retired sloppy enactment connected promo banner — successful the extremity everyone is conscionable determination to bargain the merchandise — but I cognize I bask seeing chill caller artworks retired there, erstwhile I'm retired to bargain caller products arsenic well. When I bargain a caller chill fig I similar to support the container astir if it's beauteous — this is benignant of the same, but connected integer level. More chill creation to spot connected apical of buying creation (video games successful our lawsuit here) is ever much chill creation successful the satellite and this is what I'm blessed to have. So with everyone besides feeling powerfully successful this thread — I'm with you. And proceed speaking up — successful the look of aboriginal we don't similar to see, complacency is not the way."

At the clip of writing, the banner is inactive unrecorded connected GOG.com. IGN has asked GOG for comment.

The usage of generative AI successful crippled improvement is 1 of the hottest topics successful the industry, and it has sparked a fig of controversies. Following the uncover of Divinity astatine the 2025 The Game Awards, Swen Vincke, brag of developer Larian, met with a backlash aft helium said the workplace was utilizing genAI successful assorted capacities. Larian ended up having to code AI concerns successful a reddit AMA successful which the workplace confirmed a U-turn connected immoderate aspects of its use.

And this week, RuneScape shaper Jagex insisted it would ne'er usage generative AI to marque contented players really spot in-game, successful 1 of the hardest stances connected AI yet seen from a video crippled developer.

However, immoderate video crippled companies person gone all-in connected the tech. The CEO of Genvid — the institution down choose-your-own-adventure interactive bid Silent Hill Ascension — has claimed "consumers mostly bash not care" astir generative AI, and stated that: "Gen Z loves AI slop." EA CEO Andrew Wilson, meanwhile, has said AI is "the precise halfway of our business," and Square Enix precocious implemented wide layoffs and reorganized, saying it needed to beryllium "aggressive successful applying AI." Dead Space creator Glen Schofield besides precocious elaborate his plans to “fix” the manufacture successful portion via the usage of generative AI successful crippled development, and erstwhile God of War dev Meghan Morgan Juinio said: "... if we don’t clasp [AI], I deliberation we’re selling ourselves short.”

Outside of video games, immoderate amusement companies are banning the usage of genAI altogether. For example, Games Workshop precocious banned the usage of generative AI for the accumulation of its designs and content, a determination galore Warhammer fans welcomed.

Last month, CD Projekt sold GOG to its archetypal co-founder, Michał Kiciński, for 90.7 cardinal Polish złoty (approx. $25.2 million), allowing it to run independently.

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.