Following the November 13, 2024 launch of Anno 117: Pax Romana, Ubisoft faced scrutiny when the game became the first title from the publisher to carry an AI content disclosure on Steam. Players identified multiple loading screens with AI-generated artifacts including disfigured faces, missing limbs, and distorted body proportions. The company responded that a problematic banquet scene image was a “placeholder asset that unintentionally slipped through” their review process, scheduled for replacement in patch 1.3.
When AI Slipped Into Anno 117
How Generative Tools Made It Past Quality Control in Ubisoft’s Roman Builder
How the Controversy Unfolded
What Players Identified
- Disfigured or smeared faces in backgrounds
- Joints and torsos with mismatched proportions
- Roman senators shown without heads
- Characters with nubs instead of hands
- Stray lines and composition errors
- Inconsistent scaling across figures
- Anno 1800 (2019) featured hand-drawn artwork
- Loading screens praised for artistic detail
- Anno 117 screens appeared unfinished or generated
- Composition quality below franchise standards
- Missing the polish of previous entries
- Steam user: “AI slop disappointing from a series with beautiful art”
- Reddit comment: “Not on the same level as 1800”
- Player: “I will wait til the game is cheap”
- Community: “Hire real artists for $90 games”
- Fan: “Of all video games, not Anno!!”
Technical and Industry Context
The Anno 117: Pax Romana AI controversy was documented across gaming media following the November 13, 2024 launch. Ubisoft’s statement addressed one specific loading screen and announced its replacement in patch 1.3. The game carries Steam’s AI content disclosure as the first Ubisoft title with such labeling. Player discussions covered visual artifacts, quality control processes, and localization concerns. The incident was covered alongside the game’s positive strategy gameplay reviews.