Poncle’s indie hit Vampire Survivors was set to arrive in Fortnite in an upcoming update, but that partnership might be in jeopardy.

Following the news that Epic Games is heavily using generative AI in its popular battle royale game. Following earlier AI use in Chapter 7, Epic is now making use of generative AI tools for the design of characters, skins, and even points of interest.

This heavy AI usage comes after mass layoffs of workers at Epic Games. While Epic claims that artists have complete creative control over their work and the tech isn’t replacing artists, fans are still unhappy with the technology’s prevalence in the game. And so are its partners.

Speaking to fans on social media, Poncle explained that the Fortnite x Vampire Survivors crossover may not go through due to the heavy use of AI. “Following today’s news about gen AI usage by Epic to create all sorts of game assets, including Fortnite characters, we’re currently ‘reviewing’ our collaboration with Fortnite. We’ll let you know if anything moves forward,” the developer said.

Of course, there is no confirmation right now that the crossover will be cancelled, but it does seem to be on the table. Poncle, as a developer and publisher, has committed to human-led projects with human-led art, and Epic’s use of tools like GPT Image and Nano Banana Pro are distinctly opposite to those values.

Furthermore, Epic is one of the few studios to be open in their use of Generative AI. There is a stark backlash to the use of GenAI tools within game development right now. Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios was pushed to publicly refrain from GenAI use, and tabletop giant Games Workshop has publicly denounced the use of AI at the company.

It’s clear that many are simply unhappy with AI usage in video games as well as other mediums, and even devs that have used AI aren’t happy with heavy usage. In an interview with FRVR, Halo artist Eddie Smith explained that studios are in for a “rude awakening” by relying on the technology.

“Unless you know what you’re doing, AI is not going to help you,” he said. “All the problems that people have had in games and the reasons why they don’t finish games, AI is not going to solve that. AI is going to help you not finish games even more. If you’re the type of art director who doesn’t know what they want, you still won’t know what you want.”