New ‘game’ goes viral for incredible visuals but millions have been duped by AI

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A novel ‘virtual game’ has been spreading rapidly on social platforms, largely thanks to its captivating graphics. Unfortunately, it was recently uncovered that the game is artificial, and millions of people have unwittingly fallen for an AI deception.

As Artificial Intelligence advances, telling what’s genuine from what’s manipulated is growing more challenging. From misleading models deceiving Instagram users to AI-created academic papers complicating the scientific community, numerous problems have surfaced rapidly, and let’s not forget about the environmental concerns.

In this scenario as well, the gaming world can’t be considered blameless. Certain games incorporate AI elements, leading some developers to believe that a significant amount of content is automatically generated instead of being carefully designed by hand.

Right now, an unexpected viral sensation can be found all over the internet. However, contrary to typical assumptions, this sensation isn’t due to its popularity. Intriguingly, what’s trending is actually an entirely AI-generated video clip that has deceived millions into believing it’s a genuine video game recording.

AI-generated video game goes viral

The events kicked off with a July 21 post from ‘de5imulate’ on X (previously known as Twitter). In this short, five-second video, it seems to depict a first-person game character, who is seen wielding a sword in one hand and a torch in the other.

omw

— Desimulate (@de5imulate) July 20, 2025

Straightaway, the grandeur of the world strikes you, as a lengthy, twisting woodland trail guides you towards a colossal gothic fortress.

Quickly, the piece of content gained popularity and spread rapidly throughout X. As I’m typing this, it has accumulated an astounding 30 million views.

Nevertheless, the creator later clarified in the comments that the clip isn’t authentic as initially perceived. It doesn’t represent an ongoing project or a genuine piece from a video game prototype. Instead, it stemmed from a series of words fed into an artificial intelligence generator.

In the comments, it was referred to as concept art, yet the initial post itself provides no details about its origin or creation process. There’s no indication of AI involvement, and nothing about where the ‘artwork’ came from.

As a passionate advocate for authenticity in AI, one thing that truly saddens me is witnessing individuals share content, claiming it’s their original work, when in reality, it’s produced by an AI system. They intentionally fail to disclose this fact, exploiting the likes and accolades as if they were the true artists behind the piece, created from scratch. This practice, I believe, is deeply dishonest and undermines the integrity of both AI and human creativity.

One user inquired, “Is this going to be a game?” To which the poster responded, “Perhaps in the future.” It appears that the original creator has yet to disclose any specific plans for transforming this AI prompt into an actual game.

Maybe one day

— Desimulate (@de5imulate) July 20, 2025

During the process of making this specific clip, Midjourney was utilized. Following its creation, numerous other clips, inspired by this original piece, were uploaded online.

The topic has sparked a discussion among real game developers, including Tim Soret from The Last Night team, who described it as an “AI-generated aesthetic style.

He stated that everyone is eager for it, while independent developers are hastening to design prototypes and bring it to life. However, creating an authentic game with such a style would take “numerous years of effort.

Exploring Veilwood

— Jason OConnell (@JunctionEight) July 22, 2025

Others were quick to push back on the point, showcasing their actual work on real video game projects in a similar vein. Relics of the Oracle, has started going viral in its own right, as an “actual game in this style.” The same can be said for Eclipsium, a pixel art project oozing with style.

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2025-07-23 07:18