Tim Bender, head of the indie game publisher Hooded Horse, has spoken out against the use of AI-generated art in video games. Hooded Horse, which publishes many complex strategy, simulation, and role-playing games – often featured on Xbox Game Pass – has stated it won’t work with games that use this type of AI-created artwork.
In a recent interview with Kotaku, Tim Bender of Hooded Horse stated they now include a clause in their publishing contracts prohibiting the use of AI-generated art assets, using strong language to emphasize this point. Bender clearly disapproves of AI-created artwork, and this firm stance is expected to benefit Hooded Horse and protect the company going forward.
Hooded Horse Stands Against AI
Tim Bender admits that generative AI art has complicated things for him, which explains his strong feelings about it. He believes using AI-generated art in video games is a matter of ethics, not just public relations.
The truth is, this problem happens often enough that we need to be firm: we absolutely won’t tolerate it in our work. If anything inappropriate ever gets included – even accidentally, like if someone we hired adds it – we need to remove it immediately and replace it with something appropriate. That needs to be our unwavering policy. It’s unfortunate we even have to think about this, and it’s really annoying to have to worry about it.
Instead of just voicing his strong disapproval, Tim Bender and Xbox Game Pass publisher Hooded Horse are actively working to prevent the use of AI-generated art, and for good reason. Bender suggests developers avoid using generative AI at any stage of development as a way to proactively address the issue.
Some people might initially reject an idea for the final game, but they’ll consider using it temporarily in a prototype. However, that creates a risk, because even a single instance of that temporary element accidentally making it into a released build – if it’s never properly replaced – could be a problem.
The Publisher’s CEO Didn’t Hold Back
Tim Bender has strongly criticized AI-generated art, calling it harmful and unethical. He explained that using it would be unfair to the two artists Hooded Horse employs to create marketing materials, including those for Xbox Game Pass releases. He believes the widespread need to address this issue, if it’s truly as problematic as he suggests, indicates that AI art poses a risk to projects across the entire video game industry, not just those on specific platforms.
Hooded Horse’s commitment to avoiding AI-generated art is great news for their upcoming Xbox Game Pass games. It means players and developers can be confident that the art will be created by real artists, and their work won’t be undermined by AI.
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2026-01-14 22:50