Far Far West publisher says “We don’t work with partners that are relying on generative AI”

Fireshine Games, the publisher behind Steam hit Far Far West, has said it won’t work with developers that use generative AI art.

“We don’t work with partners that are relying on generative AI or generative art, and I think that’s the red line we are very clear on,” said Fireshine CEO Brian Foote in an exclusive interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

But Foote added that the publisher will allow the use of some generative AI development tools.

“If AI means code completion or means using Copilot in Word, that’s an entirely different set of scenarios,” he said. “It will be very hard for anybody to say they’re not touching AI in some way, shape or form, but in terms of the core game creation, that is not something that we think players are interested in at this point in time, and not something that we think is healthy for the development community.”

“As it stands, it’s something that we are firm on,” he concluded.

Tim Bender, CEO of the Manor Lords publisher Hooded Horse, made a similar proclamation in January, extending to the use of generative AI for placeholder assets. “We recommend they don’t use any gen AI anywhere in the process,” he said, explaining that there’s a chance AI-generated art might slip through to the finished game.

Far Far West, developed by the French studio Evil Raptor, has proven to be a breakout hit on Steam since its launch into Early Access on April 28. Fireshine recently announced that the western-themed co-op shooter has sold more than one million copies within its first two weeks on sale.