Claude’s new rules against game cloning won’t stop the AI copying boom
Claude’s new rules against game cloning won’t stop the AI copying boom
Anthropic has added a new rule 'tengu_heron_brook' in Claude Code v2.1.314 version, prohibiting the model from cloning specific existing games. This rule has been applied to the binary file released on October 30. However, this measure is expected to be difficult to slow down the recent trend of AI-assisted game porting and replication, as the Claude Opus 5.5 model also includes similar restriction instructions.
Same story4 other outlets also reported this
- ITHome · AI··First
Anthropic limits the recreation of games with the Opus 5.5 model in Claude Code
- QbitAI··+30 h 44 min
Claude Code urgently called off dark modifications to Harness that prohibit reverse gaming
Adds:effect limited as cannot stop other models
- Ars Technica · AI··+2 d·Reading now
Anthropic introduces Claude Code new rules to restrict game cloning, but it is difficult to stop the AI game replication wave
- The Verge · AI··+3 d
Anthropic updated Claude Code's system prompts to prevent AI from replicating specific games
- The Decoder··+3 d
Anthropic bans game cloning in Claude Code to combat the wave of AI replicas
In order of publication · later reports are added as they appear · Compared by AI from each outlet’s title and summary
Last week, Anthropic introduced a new system prompt designed to stop its Claude models from re-creating specific, existing video games. While that move could help shield Anthropic from some liability, it's unlikely to slow much of the massive wave of AI-assisted game porting and copying that has emerged in recent months.
A social media user and AI decompilation enthusiast going by the name "chasm" was among the first to note the prompt change late last week, saying a new rule seemed to be added to the Claude Code prompt on or around October 27. That rule—included in a json file under the name "tengu_heron_brook"—reads as follows:
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.
XDA later independently verified that the new rule appears in version 2.1.314 of the Claude Code binary, which was released on October 30. XDA also reported that the "tengu_heron_brook" rule had been used for other purposes in earlier versions and that the Claude Opus 5.5 model specifically seemed to have its own distinct and independent instructions restricting game recreations as part of its system prompt bundle.
Source: Ars Technica · AI · arstechnica.com