The upcoming Soulslike title, The Relic: First Guardian, has faced scrutiny from content creators concerned about the potential use of AI-generated assets. In response to these criticisms, the game's director, In-Hyeok Park, has stated that while AI was employed in the early stages of development, it will not be present in the final release. Demo builds that have been distributed may contain minor AI elements, but these are slated for removal.
This clarification comes after several prominent YouTubers, including Iron Pineapple and FightinCowboy, expressed reservations about the preview builds. Concerns were raised regarding suspicious elements in the artwork, item icons, text, and dialogue, prompting director Park to address the issue in an interview. He confirmed that AI was primarily used to aid in the concept stage, specifically for a few pieces of concept art intended for loading screens and a limited number of consumable item icons. Additionally, AI assisted in the localization of text, though all translated content underwent manual review and editing by Project Cloud staff. Voiceovers for the game were not developed using AI.
Despite these assurances, some early impressions have noted issues. One early review mentioned the use of robotic-sounding AI voiceovers for quest givers, a point that has drawn particular criticism. The game's Steam page currently lacks any explicit disclosure regarding the use of AI in its development.
The Relic: First Guardian is scheduled for release on July 31, published by Perp Games. The game has already garnered significant attention, with over 250,000 wishlists recorded across Steam and PlayStation 5, indicating substantial community interest despite the ongoing discussion surrounding its development practices.