- Ironmouse reportedly dropped her sponsored stream after her team was allegedly told the game contained no AI assets.
- The community remains divided, with some criticizing undisclosed AI usage while others defend the game’s overall quality.
- Hotta Studio has yet to respond to the controversy.
NTE: Neverness to Everness, the latest supernatural open-world RPG from Hotta Studio, a subsidiary of Perfect World Games, is currently facing backlash after allegations of undisclosed gen AI-usage. The controversy led to a heated debate across social media, especially after popular VTuber Ironmouse dropped her sponsored stream following AI-generated assets concerns.
Update as of May 7, 2026
The NTE: Neverness to Everness team has now responded, stating that the game is mainly built by human artists, writers, and designers. According to the developers, AI tools were only used for a few background and environmental assets, not for the characters or story content. They also confirmed that the flagged assets are being reviewed and reworked after community feedback.
Ironmouse reportedly drops NTE: Neverness to Everness sponsorship over AI concerns
So, the AI controversy began after a few players noticed multiple AI-like assets in-game. Fans shared on X (Twitter) and other social media platforms, pointing out AI-generated billboards that appear to replicate the beloved anime movie Wuthering with You, alongside an 18-minute in-game short that, according to many, has unnatural animations and other issues that only occur with gen AI.
The controversy gained even more momentum after Ironmouse immediately cancelled her sponsored stream for NTE: Neverness to Everness. According to her statement during her stream, her team had previously been notified that the game had “no AI anywhere,” which ultimately wasn’t the case.’
The English voice actor Meggie-Elise added more fuel to the fire, revealing that “a game I worked on has been using AI and has been dishonest about it.“Like Ironmouse, she was misguided too, and said that if it’s not properly addressed or removed, she’ll “not be continuing work with this team.”
The community is now divided, and the debate around the use of AI grows
Now, despite the sudden backlash, a huge majority of the fanbase is actually supporting NTE. They’re saying the backlash has become very performative, especially since the alleged AI usage is limited to very minor background elements like posters, ads, and such. So, the core gameplay and content are still solid.
And like many fans, I too agree that the game is still very fun and feels full of personality, as one said, “The game has soul. The spin off missions are fun, the side quest have an effect in the world.” And another argued that if it were truly soulless, it “simply wouldn’t stand out the way it has in such a competitive industry.“
Personally, I don’t have much of an issue with AI usage, provided it’s not the only thing a project uses. And I don’t think the minimal use of gen AI completely takes away from the quality and fun gameplay that everyone was enjoying until now. I mean, NTE still stands out with everything it offers, but I agree that they should have been more transparent about it.
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