"We sincerely apologize for the delay in providing this notice as the review is taking longer than expected"

Nexon said it has launched an investigation after The First Descendant players noticed a number of seemingly AI-generated advertisements on TikTok, including one that used a content creator's likeness without permission.

The developer/publisher issued a statement after Reddit user iHardlyTriHard penned a viral post collating four AI-like advertisements they had found after "only 10-15 minutes" browsing their For You Page.

The statement did not apologize directly for the AI advertisements but did apologize for "the delay in providing notice as the [investigative] review is taking longer than expected." Nexon did not, however, explain when it was notified of the adverts, or when it launched its review.

Nexon said it wanted to "inform [players] of certain irregularities identified in the operation of [its] TikTok Creative Challenge for creators," and said the campaign "allows creators to voluntarily submit their content to be used as advertising materials." It also stressed that all submitted videos had been "verified through TikTok's system."

"However, we have become aware of cases where the circumstances surrounding the production of certain submitted videos appear inappropriate," the statement added. "Thus, we are conducting a thorough joint investigation with TikTok to determine the facts.

"We sincerely apologize for the delay in providing this notice as the review is taking longer than expected. Once the verification is complete, we will promptly share an update through an official notice. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

Nexon has yet to respond to DanieltheDemon's public claim that he "did not consent for my likeness to be used."