Google’s AI Tool Easily Creates Subpar Imitations of Mario and Zelda

Google has begun rolling out its new “experimental research prototype” known as Project Genie, an AI tool powered by Genie 3 and Gemini that enables users to craft interactive, explorable worlds using just a text prompt. It didn’t take long for someone to leverage this tool to create a series of playable Nintendo-inspired games, including a clone of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, featuring a functional paraglider. It’s safe to say that Nintendo, known for its strict enforcement of intellectual property, might not take this lightly.

This development comes from an early access experience shared by a user who got to test Project Genie before its official launch for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. earlier today. This user managed to recreate several iconic Nintendo games, such as Super Mario 64 and the previously mentioned Breath of the Wild, along with a bizarre mashup of Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Prime 4.

While the videos shared may not fully showcase the interactivity, these AI-generated worlds allow players to move, jump, and even paraglide in the case of the Breath of the Wild clone. Currently, the generated worlds are limited to short, one-minute, 24fps, 720p experiences.

So, how does this hold up legally? The short answer is that it likely doesn’t, and Project Genie is aware of this.

During testing, the tool prevented further reproductions of Super Mario 64 due to concerns about the “interests of third-party content providers.”

The user also nearly created a playable version of Kingdom Hearts, with an AI-generated mock-up featuring characters like Donald Duck, Sora, Cloud, and Jack Skellington, before the process was halted at the world generation stage. It would have been fascinating to see the potential legal showdown that could have arisen from that, especially considering Disney’s recent $1 billion licensing deal with OpenAI for its characters.