Graveyard Keeper 2, the anticipated sequel to Lazy Bear Games’ cult hit, has finally arrived and received largely positive feedback from the players. However, the game has also come under scrutiny from the gaming community over one question: does Graveyard Keeper 2 use AI-generated content? The answer is not clear. This is since developers outright deny the use of AI, while players firmly claim the opposite. Concerns about AI use have followed the game from its marketing campaign through to its release on September 22, 2026.
The community has debated quite a lot over this heated discussion on Steam and Reddit. It’s been a widely controversial subject for 6 months now. I did a deep dive into the matter and found some valid points from each side of the argument.
Here’s everything we know so far about the AI allegations, the developer’s response, and whether each side’s statements actually hold any merit.
Table of Contents
Does Graveyard Keeper 2 Use AI?
Francesca Falcini, the Social Media Marketing Manager of Graveyard Keeper 2, has directly claimed on the game’s official Steam FAQ that “Graveyard Keeper 2 does not have AI-generated content.”
Nevertheless, players have noticed cases where traces of AI can be seen in both the promotional artwork and the game’s own cutscenes. I noticed players pointed out the same cases multiple times. It’s a pattern, not a one-time thing, so it’s definitely worth looking into.
Why Are Players Frequently Asking About AI?
If like other players and I, you also care about transparency between developer and buyer, and the morality surrounding AI use in creative works, you probably want to know what the AI situation is like for GK2.
In each discussion page on steam or every post on the isthisAI and GraveyardKeeper subreddits, users refer to a handful of main factors.
AI Use in the Visual Art for Marketing
The earliest occasion when the AI use discussion began circulating goes back to April 2026, six months ago. One of the first people to point out the suspicion of AI use in Graveyard Keeper 2’s promotional art (in this case the Steam store banner) was The Ass Eating Slasher. “You clearly have a component artist working on the game, why use AI for the first thing people see of your game,” they say.
And recently, there has been a post by Lonly_Bunny which describes the ropes and the zombies in the poster to be nonsensical and untypical of human artist patterns.
Original vs. Sequel
The players compare the sequel with the original, claiming the art style has changed dramatically. In one widely-discussed Steam discussion, the user morushroom goes into an expanded analysis of the AI controversy. I focused specifically on the first part of the argument in which he discusses how the art style has changed between each game.
On the other side, developers explained in July 2026 on Steam that they’re changing engines and thus moving on from the 2D style to a 3D one.
AI in the Graveyard Keeper 2’s Cutscenes
As I delved deeper into the controversy, I found several users pointing out the cutscenes to be especially damning. Let’s take a closer look.
Pay close attention to how the character with the robe is holding the lantern in his hand. Do I even have to say that’s not how humans hold the ring of a lantern. As user FreddieTwenty also mentioned, “It’s AI, you can just tell… NPC on the right is holding that lantern completely wrong.. palm should be facing down.”
The generic poses these characters have can be another giveaway. I can tell you these resemble the kinds of poses AI models like ChatGPT often produce for their characters. Another clue is how the zombie and the knight are staring each other down. Blank, semi-sad facial expressions on the characters are another thing that feels off.
CTO’s Open Support for AI
The CTO of Lazy Bear Games, Slava Cherkasov has openly admitted to using AI, though clarified never during the development of GK2. Perhaps the most notable example is this post of him on Twitter showing him using AI image generation recreationally on GK2’s art.
How Did the Developers Respond?
In this Reddit post, Slava denies any AI use for GK2: “You may not believe me, but we’re not using the AI in Graveyard Keeper 2.”
He also adds, “Yes, I’m experimenting with every AI model I can find. This is what every tech guy should do now. I’m constantly creating some small experimental projects that are not shared with the audience and have to do nothing with Graveyard Keeper.”
But I found the most interesting part to be: “I’m not doing the art – we have about 8 artist for that. I’m not doing sound or music either. I’m just a tech guy that is experimenting with the tech to understand what it can do.”
So naturally I looked up who these 8 artists are. The credits at the end of the game do in fact prove there are at least 8 artists on the team.
Lazy Bear Games AI (Art Team)
The credited art team for the game is as follows:
| Lead Artist | Pavel Malakhov |
| UI Lead, Art Style Heritage Holder, 3D Modeler | Aleksandr Minichev |
| Animation Lead | Aleksei Zaikin |
| Artist | Aleksei Nikolaev |
| Artist | Daniil Yamsya |
| Artist, 3D Modeler | Vadim Minnebaev |
| Artist, 3D Modeler | Timur Bulatov |
| Artist, 3D Modeler | Dmitry Vetrov |
| Artist, Animator | Ekaterina Gorbunova |
Therefore, it appears there are real people working on the game’s art, even the cutscenes. But just because there are artists on the team, it doesn’t mean the artists themselves did not use AI. Reddit user 4as brings up an incredibly important point. “Looking at it closer, I think they were either traced, or at leased cleaned up by an artist, so there is no definitive proof, but there are some typical signs of AI usage.”
I’ll put it in simple terms: Initially the artworks are created by AI, and then the human artist draws over them or uses the photo as the underlying reference. So although the image might have five fingers for each character, or inconsistency with the clothing, the uncanny effect of AI art might still remain.
User _Skaudus also claims the same thing about the Graveyard Keeper 2 AI controversy. However, I must emphasize once more that these are all speculations made by users online, not actual proof.
While the AI discussion remains unresolved, players looking to understand the game’s mechanics can also learn how systems like Town Gratitude and Furnaces work and how they affect progression.
FAQ
Was AI used in any other aspects of game development such as voice acting or coding?
Much like the visual aspect of the game, nobody can provide a definite answer. However, there are few reports about AI use for coding and voice acting since the game has human voice actors. Additionally, there is less sensitivity for AI use when it comes to coding, and the voice actors do not sound artificial.
Does Graveyard Keeper 2 use AI?
There is no concrete evidence to suggest so, but players still insist on AI being used for the artworks, especially the cutscene slides and the game’s poster.
Does Steam guarantee no AI use when the developer claims as such?
Lazy Bear Games officially denied any use of AI during their game development, but Steam can’t independently confirm or deny this claim. You have to take their words for it.
Graveyard Keeper 2
