Call of Duty: Activision criticized for using AI artwork in Black Ops 6 loading screens
Portrayals of Zombie Santa and a Gobblegum-wielding gloved hand are making the rounds on X and the Call of Duty: BlackOps 6 subreddit. These images, which appear on loading screens of the game, look eerily like AI artwork with telltale signs such as extra fingers and unnatural anatomy. For a gaming studio that makes billions of dollars per quarter and a Triple A title with a marketing budget comparable to recent feature films, the community feels justifiably slighted.
Not every gamer feels this accusation is warranted. Some posit that Santa's extra finger on the Necrocalus screen is merely a background element, but that calls the rest of the art style into scrutiny. AI artwork can often be very convincing, but it is notorious for fumbling hands and fingers, as well as a peculiar stylized approach to fine details. In the gloved hand image, the Gobblegums appear impressed into the palm, which looks like there is a cropped out sixth pinky somewhere. There are several other instances of AI visuals in the game, but they are much less obvious.
This comes after Activision, the game studio behind the Call of Duty franchise, recast most of its voice actors who participated in the SAG-AFTRA strike. As the story goes, the studio wanted to use their voices as AI training data, and when negotiations turned sour, the VA's resigned in protest. Activision subsequently recast their roles resulting in subpar performances from some characters. Zeke Alton, the VA behind Peck, allegedly took to Reddit to complain about the recast and expressed eagerness to return to Call of Duty – only if AI protections are put in place.
Whether or not the questionable artwork in Black Ops 6 is AI-generated, the fact remains that Activision is not above using underhanded tactics to cut costs. What's worse is that this is not exactly the studio's first AI rodeo. Wired reported that Activision sold AI-generated skins last year in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Lending even more credence to the recent accusations is the Treyarch job listing in April where the Call of Duty developer was looking for a 2D artist or animator skilled with using generative AI tools. Since Microsoft's $68.7 billion takeover, the gaming studio has let off hundreds of 2D artists, and insisted on the use of AI in game development.
Negative reviews and outraged comments are rife on the Steam page for Black Ops 6. Oddly enough, Steam, which typically requires developers to expressly disclose AI use seems to have relaxed that rule for Activision. As it stands, nowhere on the Call of Duty: BO6 Steam page is AI use mentioned, except for the reviews.
This leaves the ball entirely in Activision's court. It is after all, possible – albeit unlikely – that the visuals were drawn by humans and only coincidentally resembles AI slop, but the game publisher has chosen to stay quiet thus far, and ultimately, gamers may never know for sure.
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