Nexon, the developers behind the free-to-play shooter The First Descendant, are currently looking into some unusual promotional activity on TikTok. Player reports have surfaced regarding advertisements featuring what appear to be AI-generated “influencers” enthusiastically promoting the game. While Nexon’s official statement avoids explicitly mentioning AI, it does acknowledge “certain irregularities” in the marketing campaign.
If you haven’t stumbled across one of these peculiar ads, seemingly posted by the official The First Descendant TikTok account, allow us to illustrate why they’ve sparked concern. Check this out. Further examples can be found compiled in a Reddit post by the user iHardlyTriHard, linked below.
As you can observe, the ads feature some rather odd renderings of supposed gaming personalities. In particular, one ad features a character pronouncing “Nier: Automata” in a bizarre fashion (“NEER… pause… audomada”) that would be comical if it weren’t indicative of subpar AI usage. The same character also enthusiastically emphasizes the “free-to-play” nature of a new update to the already free-to-play looter shooter, demonstrating a strange repetition.
Adding to the controversy, it seems the first character in the compilation may be based on the likeness of actual streamer DanieltheDemon. He has since commented on a TikTok post showcasing the clips, clarifying that he never consented to this. “I have no affiliation nor contract with The First Descendant,” the streamer stated. “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…”
While the questionable ads aren’t currently visible on The First Descendant’s official TikTok profile, you can still find gameplay footage and video clips that were likely paired with these AI-generated endorsements.
So, what is Nexon’s official response? Here’s what they said:
We would like to inform you of certain irregularities identified in the operation of our TikTok Creative Challenge for creators. As a part of our marketing campaign for Season 3: Breakthrough, we recently ran a Creative Challenge program for TikTok creators, which allows creators to voluntarily submit their content to be used as advertising materials. All submitted videos are verified through TikTok’s system to check copyright violations before they are approved as advertising content.
However, we have become aware of cases where the circumstances surrounding the production of certain submitted videos appear inappropriate. Thus, we are conducting a thorough joint investigation with TikTok to determine the facts. We sincerely apologize for the delay in providing this notice as the review is taking longer than expected. Once the verification is complete, we will promptly share an update through an official notice.
Essentially, the company hosted a contest of sorts encouraging users to create ads for the game, a rather unusual form of outsourcing. Final approval for publication seemingly rested solely on TikTok’s copyright check, which apparently failed to flag these problematic videos. Alternatively, Nexon may have directly approved the ads. Either way, it’s not a good look.
We await the results of Nexon’s investigation. Hopefully, their future communications will be clearer, similar to their response when accusations arose regarding potential inspiration taken from Destiny 2 icons for The First Descendant.