Anthropic updates Claude Code to prevent recreation of existing video games

Anthropic has updated its AI coding tool, Claude Code, with new instructions designed to prevent the model from recreating specific existing video games. The update was first identified by an X user known as Chasm and has since been confirmed by Anthropic staff.

New instructions for Claude Code

According to reports from 80.lv and Engadget, the new instructions added to the Opus 5.5 model include the following directive: "Do build original games, games in a genre, and games from the user's own designs and assets. Don't build a recreation of a specific existing game, even if it is renamed or called original."

Addy Osmani, a member of Anthropic's technical staff, confirmed the update on X, stating the company added the sentences "to steer it away from recreating someone else's specific game because using Claude to infringe IP is against our usage policy." Osmani noted that "Original games, genre games, and games built from your own designs and assets are meant to keep working" and added that the company will "continue to iterate to ensure we're striking the right balance."

Impact on developers and industry concerns

While the rule aims to prevent intellectual property infringement, some developers have reported issues on GitHub. According to 80.lv, developers claim the update has blocked their own projects and generic tasks, such as analyzing crash dumps or using the Reverse Engineer Anything tool.

Industry analysts and outlets have noted several factors surrounding this update:

• Rise in AI clones: The change follows reports of an increase in AI-made game clones on Steam and instances of AAA games being decompiled via AI to be played in browsers, such as fan projects based on Halo: Combat Evolved, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Grand Theft Auto V.
• Developer concerns: Companies like Digital Sun have expressed fears regarding AI misuse, recently delaying a public playtest of ReVamp due to concerns that its demo could be fed into AI tools.
• Effectiveness: Game Developer suggests it is unclear how effective the rule will be, noting that safety restrictions can often be bypassed with specific prompting and that the AI has no way to verify if a user truly owns the assets they are using.

Legal context

Anthropic has previously faced legal challenges regarding intellectual property. According to Engadget, the company agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement last year in a class action lawsuit involving 500,000 authors who accused the company of using copyrighted material to train its AI models. Additionally, the estate of Elvis Presley has filed a lawsuit against the company for similar reasons.

---

Sources

• 80.lv: Claude Code Now Refuses to Recreate Existing Video Games
• gamesindustry.biz: Anthropic adds rule to stop Claude Code recreating existing games | GamesIndustry.biz
• en.as.com: Claude code will no longer recreate existing video games under Anthropic’s new AI guidelines - Meristation
• engadget.com: Anthropic Updates Claude To Stop It From Recreating Existing Video Games
• meteoraweb.com: Claude Code now blocks AI cloning of video games • Meteora Web
• mezha.ua: Anthropic Updates Claude to Block Copies of Existing Video Games • Mezha

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.