Anthropic updates Claude to block game recreations

Anthropic has updated Claude so it will no longer build recreations of specific existing video games. The new code says Claude should build original games, games in a genre, and games made from a user’s own designs and assets. Addy Osmani, a member of Anthropic’s technical staff, confirmed the change on X, saying the company wants to steer Claude away from recreating someone else’s specific game because using it to infringe IP is against the usage policy.

Developer complaints surface

Developers say Claude Code has been refusing game projects since late October, some of which they have a right to build. Conflict Simulations LLC, which makes digital versions of board wargames for clients who own the games, said the refusals now cover even commissioned work. The developer wrote: “A blanket category rule against ‘games’ cannot tell the difference between piracy and commissioned professional work for a game’s owner.”

The change comes as AI-assisted decompilations of AAA games have surged, with Halo: Combat Evolved, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Grand Theft Auto V all available as browser-based fan projects. Anthropic agreed last year to pay a record $1.5 billion settlement in a class action brought by authors who said it used copyrighted material to train its models. More recently, the estate of Elvis Presley has sued the company.

Support tickets from developers were passed to staff, and the affected developer has filed an appeal. The developer asked Anthropic to aim the rule at real copyright infringement and to offer a verification path for professionals. Anthropic’s support bot told the developer the policy covers all customers, with no exception.