Modder Deliberately Corrupts Their Own Hugely Popular Total War: Warhammer III Mod as Row Over AI Escalates
The creator of one of the most popular Total War: Warhammer III mods ever has deliberately corrupted it so that it will no longer work with “unauthorized reuploads,” amid a row over the rights and wrongs of AI-generated modifications.
Veteran modder Venris has created Simply Fun Overhaul (SFO) mods for Total War: Warhammer for years, with a popular Patreon helping in the development of the latest version, SFO: Grimhammer III. The mod overhauls the base game to be closer to the lore and Warhammer universe, changing everything from the campaign and battle mechanics to the economy and customization.
Recently, people have used AI to release sub mods of SFO: Grimhammer III that work with updated versions of the main, Creative Assembly-developed video game, without asking permission. In response, Venris corrupted their own mod so that it stops working with these uploads, and threatened to make SFO: Grimhammer III private.
“Due to the growing number of unauthorized reuploads of SFO: Grimhammer III, and more importantly, the use of AI in the process, I have deliberately corrupted the mod to prevent it from functioning with such unauthorized uploads,” Venris said in a statement published online. “If this situation continues to escalate, I will make SFO: Grimhammer III private.
“SFO: Grimhammer is the result of nearly 10 years of passion and love for this community and the fantasy world. As such, I do not permit anyone to take my work without permission. Especially not for AI-related purposes.
“Support modders, not AI.”
Recent weeks have seen an explosion of AI-generated “mods,” which have called into question not just mod creation, but the very foundations of the video game industry. Clips of gameplay showing AI-generated “game-merging mods” have gone viral on social media, with others releasing AI-generated versions of games running on platforms they have yet to be officially released on. Some have used AI to add or expand features, increase player counts, or fuse parts of two different games together.
The mods have raised eyebrows online, and sparked questions about the legality of their release. Some within the traditional modding community have expressed shock and disappointment in AI-generated clones and mashups, and have questioned the continued viability of their hobby.
For video game publishers, the potential impact may be existential. Why buy a new Fallout video game if AI can spit one out for you in a matter of minutes? This week, the person behind a viral AI-generated Fallout: New York game pulled it offline after receiving a cease and desist from Bethesda, leading fans to celebrate.
But not all oppose AI-generated mods, clones, or video games. “Oh no the horror,” one person said in response to Venris’ post. “Someone forget to get a rubberstamp from a bureaucrat modder whose work depends on the original game devs and publishers anyway. You guys are such losers.”
Most, though, have backed Venris on this. “Anyone that thinks that you are doing something bad here doesn't have experience with someone stealing something that they have spent a major chunk of their life making and it shows,” one person said.