Accusations Of AI Art Deflate Archer Maclean's DropZone 40th Anniversary Announcement

"Obviously generated by an AI"

by Damien McFerran 2:50pm

System 3 has revealed that it will publish a 40th-anniversary edition of the classic Archer Maclean title DropZone on Steam, Switch, PS5, and Xbox next month.

"On November 27th 1984, DropZone, the legendary Defender-style game from Archer Maclean, first took flight, captivating players across the globe," says the game's Steam page. "DropZone was widely regarded as the best Defender-style game on home computers and consoles, leaving a lasting mark on retro gaming history, inspiring generations of gamers, and setting the standard for its genre."

This new release is described as being "reimagined for fans both old and new and crafted from Archer’s original source code" by developer Hashcode Digital and will feature "upgraded graphics that retain the retro aesthetic - a balancing act of old and new."

Here's some more PR:

Upgraded Graphics: The game will showcase high-definition visuals that preserve the pixel art charm characteristic of the 1980s, yet are adapted to captivate on modern high-resolution displays. Uniquely, players can press a button while playing to seamlessly toggle between the original 8-bit graphics and the updated visuals without interrupting the action. This feature allows switching between graphic modes in real-time during gameplay—a pioneering feature for a retro game remake.

Enhanced Controls: While the original game was celebrated for its precise control scheme, this new edition optimizes those controls for modern hardware, delivering a seamless gaming experience that honours the past while embracing the future. Play with a keyboard (not recommended) or a PC, Xbox, PS4 or PS5 controller.

Full Original Retro Mode: Experience the original game with its authentic graphics and sound, accessible at the press of a button during gameplay. Seamlessly switch between the classic retro look and the updated graphics version in real-time in game as you play. This feature is made possible by using the original source code provided by Archer Maclean.

Disappointingly, it looks like the cover artwork for the game has been produced using AI – something that predictably hasn't gone down well with some fans:

Archer Maclean tragically passed away in December 2022 at the age of 60. In addition to DropZone, he was also responsible for titles such as International Karate, Jimmy White's 'Whirlwind' Snooker and Archer Maclean's Mercury.

We don't have a solid release date yet, but System 3 says Archer Maclean's DropZone 40th Anniversary will launch this December.

[source store.steampowered.com]

Damien has been writing professionally about tech and video games since 2007 and oversees all of Hookshot Media's sites from an editorial perspective. He's also the editor of Time Extension, the network's newest site, which – paradoxically – is all about gaming's past glories.

1
axelhander
3:30pm

Who cares. AI fearmongering is stupid.

I could see the outrage if there was like a suite of artwork that the game featured, like if it was an RPG with Phantasy Star IV style cutscenes where every one of them was AI generated. And even then, the issue would be that said scenes would look robotic and lifeless for something that's supposed to convey emotion and themes and the like.

Here, it's for the cover art, and the final result does the job well enough.

Who. Cares.

2
RupeeClock
3:52pm

@axelhander
No, absolutely not.
The cover is an important part of the software package as a whole, whether if it's just a packet cover, a launcher icon, a title screen, etc.
That the developer or publisher in this case were content to generate some AI imagery that vaguely resembles the near-vintage game, is telling that they were unwilling to commission an actual artist to do the game some justice.
Or in the case of the Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered for Evercade, that the artist they commissioned did not disclose that they were going to use AI in their processes. Blaze Entertainment were deceived and the fans were not happy, and they ultimately rejected this artwork and got a new artist.

These days, the use of AI generated imagery is openly broadcasting that you're cheap and do not care about your product, your employees, or your customers. Or at least, that's the sentiment so many people have, very understandably so.

3
Steel76
3:54pm

I'm more disappointed in the look of the game.
The new mode, looks like a cheap flash game.

If they actually had put some effort in it, they should have gone for the same voxel style, as Resogun and Nex Machina.
Or remade it in the style that was used for Hyper Sentinel.

This is just lazy, for a 40th anniversary game, of such a classic.

4
axelhander
3:57pm

@RupeeClock It's a stupid sentiment. AI is a tool. There's a world of difference between selling AI work as your own to a client who was promised something that wasn't AI generated, and using AI tools to create cover art for a thing you're selling yourself.

An artist was not shortchanged here. It isn't shortchanging someone who was never involved in your project and that you were never planning TO involve in the first place. The fearmongering over this cover art remains dumb.

5
axelhander
3:59pm

@Steel76 Now this, I can appreciate.

Voxels are rad.

6
Leynos
36m ago

Pay artists. AI is for lazy greed *****. It's theft as well. Anyone who supports it is an ***** and an idiot

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