Games Workshop has issued an official response denying the use of AI after fans spotted a Space Marine with an extra finger in official art for the Warhammer: The Horus Heresy tabletop game.
The artwork, below, published on the Warhammer Community websitedepicts units of Space Marines clad in MkIV ‘Maximus’ armour. If you look closely at the Space Marine at the foreground of the image, you’ll see five fingers including the trigger finger facing the viewer, which means a sixth finger, his thumb, must be behind the weapon.
This kicked up a huge stink within the Warhammer 40,000 and Horus Heresy fandom, which is on the whole anti-AI, particularly when it comes to art. The Warhammer 40,000 setting is in many ways built upon the evocative and enduring art drawn by the likes of the late, great John Blanche, who shaped its “grimdark” aesthetic alongside other key Games Workshop staff. This official, human-made Warhammer 40,000 artwork is beloved by fans, most of whom take a dim view of the mere whiff of generative AI “art” sold or released in any official capacity by either Games Workshop itself, or its partners.
Indeed, Games Workshop sells expensive Warhammer 40,000 ‘codex’ rulebooks that are packed with stunning official art as well as lore. Any suggestion that this art was created either in part or entirely by generative AI tools would cause a community uproar — and that’s exactly what we saw with this Horus Heresy artwork.
Now, Games Workshop has issued an official response, denying the use of AI. In a statement published on Facebookthe UK company acknowledged the existence of an extra finger on the Space Marine, but said it came as the result of an artist “blending miniature photography with art to create a dramatic scene.” And somewhere along the way, this process added the extra finger.
Here’s the official statement in full:
“Does that Space Marine have an extra finger? Yes, but it’s not AI or early signs of mutation among the Traitor Legions! The Horus Heresy art style, since its first edition in 2012, involves an artist blending miniature photography with art to create a dramatic scene. In this case, adding a little unexpected drama. So please, go easy on our artists. They are only (and completely) human.”
The statement was met with a mix of comments giving Games Workshop the benefit of the doubt, comments expressing a healthy dose of skepticism, and jokes.
“Don’t believe for a second that an actual professional artist worked on this and didn’t realize they’d drawn six fingers,” said one person. “Especially considering this is clearly originally based on specific models from the box set. This just looks like you’ve posed some minis, taken a photo, and got AI to turn it into a dramatic scene. Only AI would accidentally generate a sixth finger. A human wouldn’t do that. Lazy. Pay your artists. And don’t lie.”
“I honestly didn’t think much of it, go through the old 40k codexes and you’ll see the same thing and other funny things like double base rims or elongated bolters,” one person countered.
“Its fine they have two hearts and a finger in reserve,” joked another.
It’s worth noting that Games Workshop has gone on the record with an anti-AI stance. In January, it banned the use of AI in its content production and its design process, insisting that none of its senior managers were currently excited about the technology.
CEO Kevin Rountree addressed the issue of AI and how Games Workshop was handling it, saying staff were barred from using it to actually produce anything, but admitting a “few” senior managers were experimenting with it.
“We do have a few senior managers that are [experts on AI]: none are that excited about it yet,” Rountree said at the time. “We have agreed an internal policy to guide us all, which is currently very cautious eg we do not allow AI generated content or AI to be used in our design processes or its unauthorized use outside of GW including in any of our competitions. We also have to monitor and protect ourselves from a data compliance, security and governance perspective, the AI or machine learning engines seem to be automatically included on our phones or laptops whether we like it or not.
“We are allowing those few senior managers to continue to be inquisitive about the technology. We have also agreed we will be maintaining a strong commitment to protect our intellectual property and respect our human creators. In the period reported, we continued to invest in our Warhammer Studio — hiring more creatives in multiple disciplines from concepting and art to writing and sculpting. Talented and passionate individuals that make Warhammer the rich, evocative IP that our hobbyists and we all love.”
These sorts of issues — where fans either spot genuine use of generative AI in official artwork for a product or they suspect it has been used — are cropping up more often across the entertainment industries, as company staff are put under pressure to use AI tools to ramp up productivity. And while Games Workshop’s official anti-AI stance is in contrast to that of many other entertainment firms across the likes of video games, movies and television, it is perhaps under more scrutiny than most, given its reputation for stunning, human-created artwork, and the setting itself, which has plenty to say about the dangers of AI.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.