Key Takeaways
1. DanieltheDemon alleges that Nexon used AI to create ads featuring his likeness without permission.
2. The controversy began when strange ads appeared on The First Descendant’s TikTok account, prompting viewer skepticism.
3. Community members highlighted the use of AI-generated voices and mismatched dialogue in the ads.
4. DanieltheDemon publicly stated he did not consent to the use of his likeness in the promotional material.
5. Nexon acknowledged issues with the ads and announced an investigation in partnership with TikTok.
A well-known streamer, known as DanieltheDemon, has made serious allegations against Nexon, the company behind the free-to-play looter-shooter game The First Descendant. He claims that they have used AI technology to create promotional ads featuring his likeness without his permission. This situation has sparked significant backlash among gamers.
The Start of the Controversy
The issue began to gain attention over the weekend when various ads appeared on The First Descendant’s official TikTok account. In these ads, excited streamers reacted to gameplay, claiming it to be “the world’s most popular shooter RPG.”
Before long, viewers began to analyze the videos for their strange, almost robotic qualities. Many commenters noted the odd speech patterns and the movements of the streamer, suggesting that the content was created using AI technology.
Community Reactions and Findings
A Reddit user named iHardlyTriHard compiled a video montage of these ads and shared it on the r/TheFirstDescendant subreddit. This montage highlighted the use of AI-generated voices and raised doubts about the content’s authenticity. Among the featured streamers was one who bore a remarkable resemblance to DanieltheDemon, a seasoned Warframe content creator. However, it became clear that the video was artificially made due to the mismatched voice and altered dialogue.
The backlash from the community was intense, with many drawing comparisons between the ads for The First Descendant and misleading promotions for fake mobile games. Some speculate that the likeness used in the ads came from DanieltheDemon’s most popular video, created through AI image-to-video techniques, possibly without his approval.
DanieltheDemon’s Response
DanieltheDemon took to the comments under a TikTok video shared by Game Central, which featured the ad montage, to address the issue directly. He wrote, “I have no affiliation nor contract with The First Descendant. They stole my face/reactions from my most viral video and used AI to change what my mouth says and a voice that isn’t mine. I did not consent for my likeness to be used.”
In light of the growing criticism, Nexon, the publisher of The First Descendant, finally released an official statement acknowledging problems with the ads, which they linked to a partnership with TikTok. Their statement on X elaborated:
“As part of our marketing campaign for Season 3: Breakthrough, we recently launched a Creative Challenge program for TikTok Creators, allowing them to voluntarily submit content for advertising purposes. All submitted videos go through TikTok’s system to check for copyright issues before being approved.
Nevertheless, we’ve learned of instances where the production of some videos may not have followed proper guidelines. Therefore, we are conducting a comprehensive joint investigation with TikTok to uncover the facts.
We apologize for the delay in this communication as the review process is taking longer than we anticipated. Once the verification is done, we will promptly update everyone through an official announcement.”
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