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Player backlash against generative AI in gaming has reached a fever pitch as we close out the year, and Battlefield 6 is the latest target of fans’ ire. Kotaku understands that EA is currently investigating allegations of AI sloppiness in the recent Season 1 winter cosmetics and try to determine how exactly the controversial technology was or was not used in its production.
The accusations started last weekend when fans spread one Battlefield 6‘s new stickers from the Windchill Bundle, which currently sells for just under $10. The cosmetic depicts a character aiming through the scope of a double-barreled rifle. “Two barrels on the M4A1, for sure,” read one angry viral post on the game’s subreddit. “I would literally rather have no sticker than some low-quality AI-generated garbage. Take a look BO7 and look how many favors AI has generated and thereby generated rewards.”
This led some fans to perform an AI vibe check on other cosmetics in the game. While nothing is as striking as Call of Duty: Black Ops6‘s Santa Zombie six-finger loading screen has been found, raising questions about how widespread the problem could be. For example, there is an in-game sticker of a bear that appears to have more than 10 claws on its legs. Is this just sloppy quality control or evidence of that Battlefield 6Post-launch development involved outsourcing design to generative AI tools?
An AI-generated double-barreled gun would violate a promise made earlier this year by EA Vice President Rebecka Coutaz, who oversees DICE and the other teams that Battlefield. In one interview with the BBCshe promised fans that they wouldn’t see any AI-generated visuals in the final game, but admitted that the technology is being used in the earlier stages of production “to give more time and space to be creative.”
There are a number of increasingly common ways AI like this could become a big-budget blockbuster on track to become the best-selling game of 2025. The first is that concept artists can use generative AI to create references for a design before digitally painting it over by hand. The second is that an outsourcing team that EA outsources ends up submitting designs for cosmetics that then slip through a rushed review process.
EA is uniquely optimistic about AI’s potential to transform game development. “We view AI as a powerful accelerator of creativity, innovation and player connection,” CEO Andrew Wilson told investors during the company’s earnings report last May. Employees across departments, from art and QA to marketing and customer service, are strongly encouraged to find ways to experiment with AI tools in their daily workflows. Kotaku reported last month whose tools were used to create a full cover for the Deluxe Edition NHL 26.
But while a double-barreled gun may be a clear indication that AI was involved, other errors may simply be the result of quality control lapses as teams rush to flood. Battlefield 6‘s post-launch window with new content and microtransactions. According to a source familiar with the game’s production, the scope of the current roadmap has limited resources when it comes to reviewing everything for potentially embarrassing errors.
EA did not respond to a request for comment.
