NTE AI Art Controversy: Complete Timeline from Discovery to Official Response

In early May 2026, just days after its global launch, Neverness to Everness (NTE) -- developed by Hotta Studio under Perfect World -- became embroiled in a major controversy over the use of generative AI in its art assets. What began as player detective work on social media escalated into a full-scale community backlash, creator boycotts, and ultimately an official admission from the development team.

Phase 1: Player Discovery (Late April - Early May)

• April 23: NTE launches in China.
• April 29: Global release across Android, iOS, PC, PS5, and macOS.
• Early May: Players on Reddit and X (Twitter) begin flagging art assets with obvious AI-generated artifacts -- distorted limbs, inconsistent details, and other hallmarks of generative AI.
• Key Discovery: An in-game billboard was found to closely resemble a scene from Makoto Shinkai's animated film Weathering with You, apparently processed through an AI filter. Players also discovered an 18-minute AI-generated animated short playing in the game's cinema.
• Trust Breach: Before launch, NTE's creative lead had publicly promised that core assets and character illustrations would absolutely not use AI, limiting AI to pre-production environment testing. The discrepancy between this promise and the in-game reality became the central grievance.

Phase 2: Creator Backlash (May 4-6)

• May 4: Popular VTuber Ironmouse announced during a livestream that she was terminating her sponsored partnership with NTE, calling it the fastest uninstall of her life. She stated that Hotta Studio had explicitly assured her before signing that the game did not use generative AI, making the discovery a personal betrayal.
• Same day: VTuber Shylily ended her stream early upon learning about the AI assets.
• Following days: English voice actress Maggie Elise publicly stated she would refuse future collaboration if the issue was not resolved. Multiple other creators echoed similar ultimatums.

Phase 3: Official Response (May 7)

• May 7: Hotta Studio issued a formal statement via NTE's global X account (@NTE_GL):
• Acknowledged the use of AI-assisted tools, limited to a small number of background and environment assets.
• Emphasized that characters, stories, and world-building were entirely human-created.
• Confirmed review and rework of two flagged assets: Summer Clear Sky and Pink Claw Heist.
• Producer Yang Lei later told media that core assets and character illustrations would absolutely not use AI going forward.

Western Community: Outrage

• Reddit communities such as r/gachagaming saw numerous refund demand threads.
• The topic trended on X for days.
• Many Western players felt the studio deliberately blurred the line between core and secondary assets, violating pre-launch promises.
• Commenters noted: If Hoyo or Kuro did this, the fallout would be catastrophic.

Asian Community: Relative Indifference

• Chinese domestic communities showed noticeably less outrage.
• Some players considered the Western reaction overblown, arguing that AI-assisted development is already common in the industry.
• Others viewed the 10 free pull compensation as an implicit apology.
• Still, in-depth analyses of the controversy's industry implications circulated on platforms like TapTap.

The controversy highlights several core issues facing the gaming industry:

1. 1Transparency: Should studios be required to disclose AI tool usage upfront?
2. 2Copyright Risk: Can AI-generated content inadvertently infringe on original artists' work (e.g., the Shinkai film resemblance)?
3. 3Creator Rights: Does replacing human art with AI contribute to artist displacement?
4. 4Trust Recovery: How can a studio rebuild trust after being caught misleading partners and players?

As of June 2026, Hotta Studio has begun reworking the two flagged assets, though no completion timeline has been announced. The community continues to monitor progress. Creators like Ironmouse have not reversed their positions, and NTE's Western reputation remains in recovery. The incident serves as a cautionary tale for the broader industry on AI ethics and transparency.