Displate has denied that one of its pieces of official Warhammer 40,000 artwork was the product of generative AI, insisting “red flags” spotted by fans were the result of human error.
The online marketplace for collectible metal posters, which features a range of licensed art from major brands such as Marvel and Star Wars, came under fire last week after fans spotted what looked like signs of generative AI use in a $149 3D-printed Fulgrim Limited Edition artwork.
Fulgrim is one of the most prominent characters in the Warhammer 40,000 setting. As one of the Emperor’s 20 genetically-engineered ‘Primarchs,’ Fulgrim played a key role in The Horus Heresy (the civil war that acts as the foundation of the current setting), and recently returned to the Warhammer 40,000 narrative with a new model and lore as the Daemon Primarch of Chaos god Slaanesh.
The issue was raised after popular Warhammer 40,000 YouTuber Luetin pulled a promotional post for Displate’s limited run Fulgrim art over concerns that part of the image “looked AI generated.” A circled part of the artwork appeared to contain misaligned geometry.
“I have no way of confirming this, so I must underline this remains entirely speculative,” Luetin continued. “But based on just the potential for this, I have removed that post – and until I can get a clear answer one way or the other – I do not currently intend to work with them again in the future.
“Its very disappointing, as their production of official 40K artwork that I own, and still look excellent on my office wall I would absolutely recommend.
“If anyone did purchase that image yesterday, I would recommend you to personally evaluate its detail for yourself – and if you felt it necessary cancel or refund.”
That post ended up doing the rounds within Warhammer 40,000 online communities, where the artwork was analyzed for signs of gen AI use. Now, Displate itself has addressed the concerns, insisting “no AI was used in the creation of this piece.”
In a post on the Displate subreddit, company representative WallOverthePlace said the artwork was digitally painted by “one of our top in-house artists as part of our licensed Warhammer project.” The part of the image that had become the focus of the gen AI debate is “a human error that slipped through during the final stages of production.”
Displate continued: “the piece went through multiple revisions – including repaints, composition changes, and moving elements around – and a small cut-off edge from an earlier adjustment wasn’t fully repainted before final delivery. That’s on us. Designing a Limited Edition is a long and complex process, but this mistake should have been caught during QC.
“We understand why this raised red flags, especially given how strongly fan communities feel about AI, and we take that seriously. Limited Editions are our highest-tier releases and we treat them accordingly. To be completely clear: none of our licensed artworks have been or will be AI-generated. Every Limited Edition we release is created entirely by real artists, either by our internal art team or trusted external collaborators, and held to the highest standards we apply as a company.”
As a result, Displate called on customers who already have their order of the artwork to get in touch to get a replacement. “You will receive a separate product with the same Limited Edition print run number and the same certificate,” Displate said. ”If you choose to keep the original piece, we completely understand and respect that choice of appreciating this unique variant.”
Those who have an order yet to ship will get a corrected version, but it will be sent after the New Year.
“We appreciate the community holding creators to high standards – that same standard is exactly what we expect of ourselves, and we’re sorry for the confusion this caused,” Displate said.
The Warhammer 40,000 setting is in many ways built upon the evocative and enduring art drawn by the likes of John Blanche, who shaped its “grimdark” aesthetic alongside other key Games Workshop staff. This official, human-made Warhammer 40,000 artwork is beloved by fans, most of whom take a dim view of the mere whiff of generative AI “art” sold or released in any official capacity by either Games Workshop itself, or its partners.
Indeed, Games Workshop sells expensive Warhammer 40,000 ‘codex’ rulebooks that are packed with stunning official art as well as lore. Any suggestion that this art was created either in part or entirely by generative AI tools would likely cause a community uproar.
The issue of generative AI and its use in entertainment is one of the hottest topics across all industries. This week, IGN reported on video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which was stripped of its Game of the Year award by The Indie Game Awards over its use of generative AI. Meanwhile, Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian plans to address concern over its use of gen AI in upcoming game Divinity following a backlash online.
Image credit: Games Workshop.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
