11 bit studios addresses AI use in The Alters

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Polish developer 11 bit studios, known for This War of Mine and Frostpunk, has responded to concerns about AI-generated content in their sci-fi survival game The Alters, released on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 13, 2025. Following player accusations spotted on Reddit, the studio issued a statement via Bluesky, clarifying their limited use of AI as temporary placeholders and outlining steps to address oversights.

The Alters immerses you in a narrative-driven adventure where protagonist Jan Dolski creates alternate versions of himself, called Alters, to survive on a hostile alien planet. During development, a graphical designer used AI-generated text as a placeholder for a background texture, intended only as a work-in-progress asset. Due to an internal oversight, this text made it into the final game. 11 Bit Studios conducted a thorough review, confirming this was an isolated case, and is updating the asset. A screenshot shared in the statement shows the text’s minor role, emphasizing its limited impact on the overall experience.

Additionally, the studio used AI to localize a small portion of in-game content, specifically dialogue for licensed movies that Alters watch in the base’s social area. These movies, totaling about 10,000 words or 0.3% of the game’s 3.4 million words across all languages, were added late in development. Facing time constraints, 11 bit studios opted for AI-assisted translations instead of involving their usual translation partners, a decision they now acknowledge as a mistake. The studio is working with trusted agencies to update these translations as part of a post-launch localization hotfix.