Ironmouse is, without a doubt, the most popular VTuber in the world so much so that she now competes with mainstream streamers and content creators. However, she has just found herself at the center of a controversy over a partnership that may be lining her pockets while casting doubt on her principles.
As part of Season 4 of Chapter 7 of Fortnite, a wave of collaborations with video game franchises, alongside the debut of the popular VTuber Ironmouse, was announced.
Epic Games officially unveiled the content included in this collaboration, which will be available starting September 18. Shortly afterward, criticism against Ironmouse intensified.
Ironmouse Does Not Support Games Made with AI… Except Fortnite
The negative comments are not aimed at the collaboration’s content itself, but rather because she agreed at all.
Earlier this year, Ironmouse severed ties with Perfect World Games and ended her sponsorship deal related to Neverness to Everness after learning that artificial intelligence (AI) was being used in its development, which the Chinese company denied.
“I will never play AI games!” reads the title of the YouTube Short in which the VTuber explained the situation she had experienced.
This is significant because Epic Games has already confirmed that it uses generative AI tools to assist with concept art, character design, and environment creation for the game. As a result, Ironmouse’s decision to collaborate with Fortnite just months after the Neverness to Everness controversy appears to be a clear case of double standards.
Players Criticize Ironmouse’s Double Standards
Naturally, both her detractors and even some of her followers were quick to call this out across her recent Fortnite posts on social media, pointing to it as yet another example of moral posturing.
“Adorable how they change when it suits them,” one internet user wrote.
“She’s just a hypocrite who loves money,” another one said. “What a sellout.”
Some might come to her defense by arguing that Ironmouse’s decision was based not only on the use of AI in Neverness to Everness, but also on the fact that the game’s developers lied to her reportedly telling her that the technology was not used in its development, which was untrue. Nevertheless, the VTuber has made it clear that she would not collaborate with any game made with AI.
Another possible excuse would be that Ironmouse was unaware of AI’s use in Fortnite’s development. However, unlike Neverness to Everness, Epic Games has publicly and widely disclosed how it employs the technology.
In any case, Ironmouse has yet to issue any comment on the controversy.
What do you think of Ironmouse’s stance on games made with AI? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Fortnite is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and Nintendo Switch, as well as PC and mobile devices
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