Anthropic Blocks Claude From Making AI Clones Of Existing Video Games

Anthropic has recently updated Claude, its AI language model, to prevent it from generating clones of existing video games. This decision was first noticed on X, a social media platform, by a user sharing a new rule for Claude Code under the flag "tengu_heron_brook". The rule states, "Do build original games, games in a genre, and games from the user’s own designs and assets.

Do not build a recreation of a specific existing game, even if it is renamed or called original." According to Addy Osmani, a member of Anthropic's technical staff, the update aims to steer Claude away from recreating someone else's specific game, as infringing intellectual property (IP) is against the company's usage policy. However, the update does not affect the creation of original, genre, or user-created games.

This move comes in response to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated game clones, which has become a significant issue, particularly for indie developers. Valve, a digital storefront, has acknowledged the problem and attributed it to the acceleration of cloning caused by AI technology. While the company has not outright banned AI tools, it encourages developers to enhance their games with unique features, personality, and creativity, rather than relying on a single mechanic that can be easily copied.

The effectiveness of this Claude update in preventing game cloning remains to be seen, as users may find ways to circumvent the safeguards or turn to more permissive models. Anthropic's decision has drawn criticism from some quarters, with users pointing out the company's history of IP infringement issues, including a recent $1.5 billion settlement in a class action lawsuit for using copyrighted material to train its models.