Indie publisher alleges TikTok is AI-generating offensive ads using its characters and they can't make it stop: 'Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company?'

Indie publisher alleges TikTok is AI-generating offensive ads using its characters and they can’t make it stop: ‘Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company?’ | PC Gamer Skip to main content Open menu Close main menu PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES US Edition UK US Canada Australia Subscribe Sign in View Profile Sign out Search Search PC Gamer Games Hardware News Reviews Guides Video Forum More PC Gaming Show PC Gamer Clips Software Codes Coupons Movies & TV Magazine Newsletter Affiliate links Meet the team Community guidelines About PC Gamer PC Gamer Magazine SubscriptionWhy subscribe?Subscribe to the world’s #1 PC gaming magTry a single issue or save on a subscriptionIssues delivered straight to your door or device From$1Subscribe now Don’t miss these Platforms Open-source game engine Godot is drowning in ‘AI slop’ code contributions: ‘I don’t know how long we can keep it up’ AI Microsoft uses plagiarized AI slop flowchart to explain how Github works, removes it after original creator calls it out: ‘Careless, blatantly amateuristic, and lacking any ambition, to put it gently’ Horror ‘Art and science and procreation, that’s about all life is good for:’ Two former freeware developers are still trying to keep it weird in an era when companies ‘sell games to people in 5-second clips’ Sim Understandable AI paranoia has inspired a developer to change the handcrafted character art in its upcoming sim: ‘They look a bit AI’ AI Judging by the GPT-4o situation, game developers will have a big problem if they get serious about AI chatbot NPCs Software The EU declares TikTok’s ‘infinite scroll’ and ‘highly personalised recommender system’ are ‘addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act’ FPS Laid-off Highguard developer cuts loose on the reaction to the infamous Game Awards reveal trailer: ‘We were turned into a joke from minute one’ Gaming Industry Over 50% of game developers now think generative AI is bad for the industry, a dramatic increase from just 2 years ago: ‘I’d rather quit the industry than use generative AI’ Gaming Industry ‘There’s no reason for Discord to comply in advance’ with social media age verification laws instead of ‘fighting for their users’ says EFF expert AI Google’s new AI ‘world model’ has seemingly spooked videogame investors, but it’s hard to know what it will actually lead to Gaming Industry After its teen social media ban, Australia is swooping on Roblox following ‘ongoing concerns about online child grooming’ AI ‘I f**king hate gen AI art,’ Hooded Horse chief says: ‘If we’re publishing the game, no f**king AI assets’ Sim ‘Please let us focus on making our game in peace’ developer says to whoever is behind a slew of fake positive reviews that it swears definitely isn’t them RPG Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian defends itself as fans react to generative AI use: ‘I’m not entirely sure we are the ideal target for the level of scorn’ Gaming Industry ‘We will f*ck up’: The publisher of Against the Storm and Manor Lords is committed to keeping generative AI out, but it’s easier said than done PopularNEW: PC Gamer Clips!Arc RaidersBest PC gearFalloutGame Quizzes Games Indie publisher alleges TikTok is AI-generating offensive ads using its characters and they can’t make it stop: ‘Does TikTok want me to be grateful for the mistreatment of my company?’ News By Justin Wagner published 22 February 2026 Finji CEO Rebekah Saltsman called out TikTok for “a profound void where common sense and business sense usually reside.” When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Tunic Team) Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter PC Gamer Get the PC Gamer Newsletter Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Want to add more newsletters? Every Friday GamesRadar+ Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you’re going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them. Signup + Every Thursday GTA 6 O’clock Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O’clock experts. Signup + Every Friday Knowledge From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what’s on the horizon. Signup + Every Thursday The Setup Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more. Signup + Every Wednesday Switch 2 Spotlight Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo’s new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play. Signup + Every Saturday The Watchlist Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we’ve got you covered. Signup + Once a month SFX Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month! Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Night in the Woods and Tunic publisher Finji said TikTok is using its characters and art without its consent to run offensive ads “enhanced” with generative AI. As reported by IGN, Finji CEO Rebekah Saltsman called attention to the issue publicly in a February 5 Bluesky post.”If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap,” Saltsman told her followers. We have reached out to TikTok for comment, and will update this story if we hear back.Posting this here for reasons 😒 If you happen to see any Finji ads that look distinctly UN-Finji-like, send me a screencap. If you are someone who writes intelligently about something like “massive company running ai versions of paid ads without small company’s consent” idk, maybe reach out.— @bexsaltsman.bsky.social (@bexsaltsman.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2026-02-22T18:00:55.392ZSaltsman told IGN that, while Finji does use TikTok to serve ads (like this one), those ads don’t make use of generative AI. Finji says it received screenshots from fans who were served AI versions of the ads. IGN was shown at least one example where the lead character of Finji’s next game, a Black woman, was turned into a sexualized, racist caricature thr