The marketing push for The First Descendant—Nexon’s flashy looter-shooter—has taken an unexpected turn after it was revealed that several of its TikTok ads didn’t feature real streamers, but AI-generated impostors. What was supposed to look like authentic influencer endorsements instead sparked backlash over the use of artificial personalities to sell a major game.

Figure 1. Fake Faces Sell Games.

At first glance, the ads seemed standard enough: smiling streamers chatting about the game’s new season over gameplay clips. But viewers soon noticed something was off. The expressions were a little too stiff, the voices oddly flat, and the eyes—glassy and lifeless—gave away the ruse. One of the videos even appeared to mimic a real streamer, DanieltheDemon, who quickly denied involvement. The others were entirely AI-generated, each one looking less convincing than the last. Figure 1 Fake Faces Sell Games.

Nexon responded by admitting there were “irregularities” in the campaign, which was part of TikTok’s Creative Challenge program. The initiative allows creators to submit ad-style videos for brands in exchange for a share of revenue. According to Nexon, TikTok’s systems were supposed to verify the submissions, but somehow AI forgeries slipped through. The publisher is now working with TikTok on a joint investigation to figure out how it happened.

The incident raises big questions about trust in digital advertising [1]. Was Nexon careless in approving these clips, or was TikTok’s oversight flawed? Either way, the fallout is clear: gamers are questioning the authenticity of influencer ads at a time when the line between real and synthetic is increasingly blurred.

While Nexon has apologized and promised transparency, this controversy shows how easily AI tools can be misused in marketing—and how quickly audiences can spot the difference between genuine enthusiasm and hollow, machine-made promotion. In a space where credibility is everything, fake faces may have cost more than they gained.

References:

1. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-first-descendant-is-using-ai-ads-with-weird-digital-clones-of-actual-streamers/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), Game Publisher Denies Using AI Influencers, Blames TikTok Submissions and Promises Probe into App Irregularities, AnaTechMaz, pp.2