in Statement released today on the Magic: The Gathering websiteWizards of the Coast reaffirms its anti-artificial intelligence policy and details the following: Comments on X (Formerly Twitter).
The statement comes after fans began speculating that some of the art teased for next year’s 2024 Player’s Handbook may rely on AI. Image of a dwarf who has lost an arm.
This image, combined with layoffs at Wizards earlier this year, including some artists, and a job posting for a “touch-up artist” suggests that the company plans to replace some of its artists with AI tools. Some people speculated.
Wizards yesterday responded to a question about the Player’s Handbook art for X by saying, “We have confirmed with our artists that no generative AI is being used. This is consistent with our artist guidelines that limit it.”
https://t.co/tf7SRfmAUN pic.twitter.com/3gjWhwyN8Z
— D&D Beyond (@DnDBeyond) December 18, 2023
Today, the company released the following statement in full:
For 30 years, Magic: The Gathering is built on the innovation, ingenuity, and hard work of talented people who have created beautiful and creative games. That hasn’t changed. Our internal guidelines regarding artificial intelligence tools remain unchanged. We’re looking for artists, writers and creatives to contribute. magic TCG refrains from using AI generation tools to create final ones magic product. We work with some of the world’s most talented artists and creators, and we believe that they are the ones who create the world. magic wonderful.
Artists familiar with Wizards of the Coast also took to social media to show their support for Wizards of the Coast.
I know everyone wants to see companies burn down, but WotC was one of the few companies that was staunchly anti-AI from the beginning and only supported artists. I don’t even know where the “Hasbro almost fired their artists” story came from. 1/2 https://t.co/Z7IMJ5SvLV
— Christina Kraus 🌱🐺 (@ElbenherzArt) December 20, 2023
As someone…
A) Staunchly anti-AI
B) They don’t trust the Corps.
C) The top of Aragon’s illustration will be stretched upwards by an in-house dedicated toucher upper, and that person will have said the mission.– I know this is a nothing burger. Please focus your efforts to fight AI elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/xomdMxkWCO
— Jason Rainville (@JasonRainville) December 20, 2023
Other artists have tried to clarify that the presence of touch-up artists does not mean a transition to AI-generated art, and that it is common practice to touch up art internally after receiving a commission. I made that clear.
In games, almost all outsourced art is modified in-house to improve quality and style, or to reuse for marketing purposes. Just because WotC employs “touch-up artists” doesn’t mean they rely on AI…
Please stop retweeting conspiracies from people who don’t even work in game art.
— John Neimeister (@Andantonius) December 20, 2023
Wizards of the Coast is set to release an updated 2024 Player’s Handbook next year, along with the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual, and IGN got a chance to get an early look at it during a visit to the company’s headquarters earlier this year.
Travis Northup is a freelance writer for IGN.