Nexon has launched an internal investigation after players spotted several AI-generated ads for The First Descendant on TikTok—yet no apology was given, even after a streamer claimed his likeness was used without permission.

Nexon announced it had begun investigating after players of The First Descendant reported seeing multiple seemingly AI-generated advertisements on TikTok, one of which used a streamer’s face without his consent. The developer/publisher issued a statement after Reddit user iHardlyTriHard posted a viral thread compiling four AI-generated ads found on TikTok’s For You page in just 10–15 minutes of browsing. However, the statement failed to include a direct apology for the AI-generated content.

The AI ads are worse than you think
byu/iHardlyTriHard inTheFirstDescendant

“We would like to inform you of certain irregularities identified in the operation of our TikTok Creative Challenge for creators. As part of our marketing campaign for Season 3: Breakthrough, we recently ran a Creative Challenge program for TikTok creators. This program allows creators to voluntarily submit their content to be used as advertising materials. All submitted videos are verified through TikTok’s system to check for copyright violations before they are approved as advertising content.

However, we have become aware of cases where the circumstances surrounding the production of certain submitted videos appear inappropriate. Thus, we are conducting a thorough joint investigation with TikTok to determine the facts. We sincerely apologize for the delay in providing this notice, as the review process is taking longer than expected. Once the verification process is complete, we will promptly share an update through an official notice. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

The South Korean company has yet to respond to streamer DanieltheDemon’s claims that his likeness was used without permission in The First Descendant ads—an issue we reported on a few days ago. This makes the situation all the more intriguing, as Nexon’s response seems more like a PR statement than a real act of accountability. If they were truly taking responsibility, they would have issued a direct apology—but they didn’t.

This is clearly not the end of the story…

Source: Gamesindustry, Twitter