Hooded Horse AI policy: the contractual blueprint publishers should study
Summary
Hooded Horse embeds zero-AI clauses in all publishing contracts, banning generative AI assets at every pipeline stage including prototypes.
The policy targets a specific operational risk: placeholder AI assets surviving into shipped builds undetected.
Nexon, Sega, and Embracer are all moving toward AI adoption; Hooded Horse bets brand differentiation on the opposite position.
"It only takes one of those slipping through in some build and not getting replaced or something"
01
Asset leakage, not ethics, is the core risk
Bender's primary concern is AI placeholders in early builds surviving into final shipped products.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the cited precedent where AI assets slipped through unintentionally.
This reframes zero-AI policy as a QA and IP liability instrument, not a values statement.
"It's cancerous"
02
Contractual enforcement across the full pipeline
The zero-AI clause sits in publishing agreements, making violations a contractual breach.
The ban covers final assets, placeholder content, and prototype builds with no exceptions.
Hooded Horse actively counsels developers during production to prevent workaround thinking.
This makes the publisher an ongoing compliance monitor with direct cost and resourcing implications.
03
Industry split: three majors moving the opposite direction
Nexon's CEO stated it is "important to assume that every company" is using AI.
Sega pursues AI efficiency gains despite acknowledging "strong resistance" internally.
Embracer CEO Phil Rogers calls AI "powerful" but insists "human authorship is final."
US Copyright Office rules AI-generated art without human creativity holds no copyright protection.
Steam now tags AI-made games, creating a storefront signal affecting discoverability and trust.
04
What publishers and investors should watch next
If AI asset leakage incidents multiply across mid-tier releases, expect more publishers to adopt zero-AI contract clauses.
Investors should treat AI usage policies as a due diligence variable given copyright and platform risk.
Watch whether Steam moves from tagging to ranking penalties, which would make Hooded Horse's position a commercial advantage.
Developers seeking Hooded Horse partnerships should prepare AI policy documentation before any pitch.
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