NTE: Neverness to Everness faces social media backlash over AI-usage claims as Ironmouse drops sponsored stream

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Story Highlights

  • 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, a new open-world role-playing game from Hotta Studio (a part of Perfect World Games), is receiving criticism after people claimed it used AI-generated content without disclosing it. The issue sparked a lot of discussion online, and VTuber Ironmouse even stopped a sponsored broadcast due to concerns about the game using AI-created assets.

Ironmouse reportedly drops NTE: Neverness to Everness sponsorship over AI concerns

Okay, so this whole AI thing started blowing up when players like me noticed some weird stuff in the game. People started sharing screenshots and videos on X (Twitter) and other platforms, pointing out billboards that were clearly ripped off from the anime movie Wuthering with You. But the biggest issue is this 18-minute in-game short – the animations just look…off. A lot of us think it’s because they used generated AI, and it’s causing these really unnatural movements and glitches you just wouldn’t normally see.

The situation became even more heated when Ironmouse abruptly cancelled her sponsored stream for the game NTE: Neverness to Everness. She explained on stream that her team was initially told the game contained absolutely no AI, but that turned out not to be true.

I was recently surprised and upset to learn that a game I contributed to is using AI without being upfront about it. I want to state clearly that I don’t believe AI should be used to create art, including things like voice acting, illustrations, writing, or music. If this isn’t fixed, I will no longer…

— Meggie-Elise | Voice Actor 🎙️🌸✨ (@MeggieEliseVA) May 5, 2026

Voice actress Meggie-Elise recently shared that an unconfirmed game she worked on secretly used AI, which she feels is dishonest. Similar to Ironmouse, she stated she will stop working with the development team if the issue isn’t fixed or the AI isn’t removed.

The community is now divided, and the debate around the use of AI grows

Okay, so there was a bit of a freakout recently, but honestly, most of us are still really into NTE. It seems like a lot of the drama is just people trying to be mad, especially since it turns out any AI stuff was just for little things – like posters or ads in the background. The actual game itself, the gameplay and all the main content, is still great, thankfully.

Ironmouse dropped her Neverness to Everness sponso stream after learning about the game containing generative AI and especially after the developers told Ironmouse’s team that the game did not include AI
byu/WolfOphi ingachagaming

I’m a big fan, and like a lot of other people, I’m still really enjoying the game! It just feels special, you know? Someone put it perfectly – the game has soul. The little side missions are a blast, and it’s cool how your choices in side quests actually change things in the world. Honestly, if it didn’t have that something special, it wouldn’t be getting as much attention in such a crowded market, right?

Honestly, I’m not really bothered by the use of AI, as long as it’s not the only thing powering the project. I don’t think a little bit of AI ruins the fun we’ve all been having with NTE, especially since it’s still a great experience overall. My main issue is just that they should have been upfront about using it in the first place.

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2026-05-06 13:12