On this page · 5 sections ▾
Anthropic has added an instruction to Claude that stops it from building recreations of specific existing video games, according to Engadget, which reported on November 1 that Anthropic staff member Addy Osmani confirmed the change on X. Developers had been reporting refusals in Claude Code since late October, and some say the rule catches legitimate work.
Key facts
- The rule tells Claude to build original games, genre games and games based on a user's own designs and assets, but not to recreate a specific existing game, even if renamed or called original.
- Osmani said the aim is to stop use of Claude to infringe IP, which Anthropic's usage policy prohibits, and that the company will keep iterating on the balance.
- Refusals began around October 27, according to a developer quoted by The Next Web, and surfaced in a wave of issues on Claude Code's GitHub tracker.
- Tom's Hardware reported on October 31 that there was no official statement at that point.
What developers report
The owner of Conflict Simulations LLC told GitHub readers on October 30 that they build personalized digital versions of board wargames for clients who own those games. According to The Next Web, the developer said Claude Code began refusing the work and cited an instruction against reproducing games. The developer argued that a blanket rule on games cannot separate piracy from commissioned work for a game's owner.
The same developer said Anthropic's support bot described the policy as applying to all customers without exception. Two support tickets were later passed to staff, and the developer has filed an appeal. They asked for the rule to target real copyright infringement and for a verification path for professionals.
Not every commenter sided with them. One said that unless work is done for the rights holders, it is no different from any other reverse-engineered port.
Reverse engineering and cyber blocks
Tom's Hardware described a messier picture. It cited user claims that Claude Code, and possibly the Opus 5.5 model, also refuses harmless reverse-engineering tasks, including ones that use the Reverse Engineer Anything tool. Reported examples include analyzing a Windows crash dump and cleaning junkware off a Samsung TV. Those claims come from Reddit and other platforms and are unverified.
Separately, some developers said Claude's cyber safeguards flagged anti-cheat code and a security review of their own games. Both outlets say the timing of the game rule and the cyber restrictions may be a coincidence. Anthropic introduced its Cyber Verification Program on October 6, and The Next Web notes it lifts some blocks for vetted security teams.
The sources differ on the rule's status. Tom's Hardware said the rule text was unconfirmed when it published, and The Next Web said Anthropic had announced nothing and its changelog was silent. Engadget's later report of Osmani's confirmation, which matches the wording circulating earlier, settles that the rule exists.
Why it matters
Engadget ties the change to a surge of AAA games being decompiled with AI help and playing in browsers, including fan projects for Halo: Combat Evolved, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Grand Theft Auto V. It also points to Anthropic's IP history: a $1.5 billion settlement with authors last year and a more recent suit from the estate of Elvis Presley. The Next Web puts that suit at 274 songs, filed in October.
