A Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 player claims that they were able to get a refund for the game from Steam due to its use of generative AI. The Steam refund was successfully claimed despite the fact that the player had already put significant time into Black Ops 7.
AI has been making quite the buzz in the game industry, but often not in a positive way. As some game companies embrace the possibilities of AI, developers and gamers have often objected to it. For example, EA employees objected to AI use being pushed in the development of games. Now, at least one player has taken action after discovering the extent of generative AI use in Black Ops 7.
Steam User Gets Refund for Black Ops 7 Due to Gen AI In-Game
On Twitter, a Steam user called Bricky explained that they weren’t happy with the use of AI in Black Ops 7, stating that “there is no better anti AI advertisement” than the “worst campaign in COD history,” referring to Black Ops 7. A follow-up tweet said that the player completely finished the Black Ops 7 campaign, and then reached out on Steam for a refund for the game. The user specifically pointed to the AI as being the reason that they wanted a refund, claiming that the game utilized it “constantly” but that the AI materials weren’t used in marketing, video, or screenshots, implying that they were misleading. To their surprise, Steam processed a refund for the game, issuing a $69.99 refund to their account.
Whether Steam would allow this on a widespread scale remains to be seen. In some past cases, Steam has issued refunds for games regardless of how long players have spent in them, but that’s generally reserved for disastrous launches, like that of Cyberpunk 2077. To be fair, the store listing for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 does acknowledge that it utilizes generative AI in creating game assets, so other players may not experience the same luck. However, it’s also possible that the player rushed through the campaign in 2 hours, which is the normal limit for refunds on Steam purchases. In that case, Steam likely would have processed the refund regardless of the reason for the request.
Refunds or no, players have been showing displeasure with Black Ops 7 since its launch, and its use of AI has been a part of that. Players have particularly been annoyed by Black Ops 7‘s calling cards, which some have said look like they were generated by Grok, Twitter’s own AI. Activision hasn’t denied the claims, explaining that it does utilize AI tools, among others, in the development of its games. The use of AI in Black Ops 7 isn’t really a secret, especially considering that players called out AI use in Black Ops 6, which Activision also had to admit to. While it was a sour note for many players, it seems the company has doubled down on AI use.
