Robin Ward was recovering on a broken shoulder when he fell in love with The doubles are deadFree browser game conducted on Itch.io, India Games Salesfront. He reached its creator, Jeremy Johnston and told him: “It should be a greater matter than he is.” At the same time, Ward says that “he knew why” it couldn’t be.
Browser version The doubles are dead He used the art generated by AI for its photos, the central part of the logical game, which satisfies players with the study of dozens of people and filling the intricate genealogical tree. At that time, Steam, the largest PC game platform, did not allow the utilize of generative artificial intelligence in games released using a store site. In addition, Ward and Johnston agreed that they believe that “the sale of works of art created in this way is unethical.”
Johnston originally released the game for free, despite the fact that he spent 11 months to build it from the originally global Dżem project, which approached less than a week in 2023 in tense time restrictions, and in the time when generative AI was so well known, he contacted a friend who was great in using Midjourney and asked if he was paintings he came to his puzzle.
The paintings were far from ideal. Both Johnston and Ward indicate a distorted one, staring at the image of a teenage girl in the original version of the game (which is still available for free) – Ward calls it “demonic”. Other portraits have twisted hands, which were then a considering game of generative artificial intelligence.
But despite the expansion of the game for almost a year, increasing the history and mysterious aspects, Johnston says that “he never really thought” to replace art. Not being an artist, he focused on the photographic quality of existing works of art and knew that he would never be able to afford to employ models and chamerapelet to recreate them.
And although he put a lot of work into an extended version, he did not expect the reaction he would finally get. “I spent other things – not necessarily games, but the things I spent a lot of time and energy for, and then they came out and nobody cares,” he says. So at least he spent a lot of time DoublesHe did not want to invest money that he never expected to recover.
When he released the itch.io version DoublesHowever, he was surprisingly popular. He spread on forums and Reddit and noticed in the press of the games. He did not pay for this, because of the work of AI art, although he contained a donation link and claims that he had earned around $ 2,000 to USD 3000 from over 10,000 players.
One of these players was Ward. After contacting Johnston, they agreed that Ward would reprogram the game and hire an illustrator who replaced AI graphics and prepare it for Steam. The illustrator he brought, Henning Ludvigsen, says that he used AI art as a kind of sketch of the concept. Ludvigsen then conducted his own research at that time and the style that the image was supposed to evoke, ultimately creating almost 40 illustrations for almost a year of work.
“I am not a great fan of generative artificial intelligence,” he says, saying that his peers in the illustrative industry record a reduction in work, especially conceptual artists. “[Companies] skip this step a bit [using AI]Which in my opinion is not great. “
As for ready -made products, he still considers generative artificial intelligence as “without doing so well among players.” Vast video games, such as two interactive, have noticed that players usually avoid games that utilize artificial intelligence, but also react negatively to them online and ratings, calling it A potential way to “losing players, revenues … and damages of reputation.” Johnston mentions the cases of Cyan Worlds, a developer standing behind Myst, Reception of slack for using “content supported by AI”, such as textures assets in the latest game.
The doubles are dead It seemed that he bypassed these problems, see-through in its utilize in advance, as well as spending for free, says Johnston. Ward also indicates that “in this case this is a case” there would be no game “compared to” there is a game “. Johnston agrees that without using a work of art generated by AI, the initial version would never have been released, which means that the final full version with Ludvigsen’s work never existed in it. Ludvigsen himself says that he “really liked” replacing the illustrations, given that he is the “general generation of art of the art of AI.
“I think some people would say:” Well, I would prefer that there would be no game in this case “and I think they have the right to their opinions,” says Ward, citing it environmental fears and scrapping the work of artists for training bodies as potential arguments about this approach. “But ultimately I played something I really loved,” he says.
The game was released on Steam in January 2025. “The vast majority of people remind:” I am glad that you got rid of AI, “says Ward. Although some say that they prefer a more photographic quality of generated art, Ludvigsen’s work is undeniably an improvement, from invisible fingers to increased design consistency for characters that appear in many photos, which makes some puzzles more understandable.
The doubles are dead He is now a critical and commercial success that would not have a place without generative artificial intelligence and a human artist. Both Ward and Johnston note that the game has chosen an unusual path to the current state. But as AI tools increase, it is possible that more games will end on the same path.