Anthropic adds new rule to Claude Code for game clones: What the AI company has to say
Anthropic has implemented a new rule in its Claude Code AI tool to prevent the generation of clones of existing video games. The update aims to curb intellectual property infringement following a surge in low-effort AI-generated game content.
Why it matters
This highlights the growing tension between AI development and intellectual property rights, as companies face pressure to prevent their tools from being used for copyright infringement.
Anthropic has added a new rule to Claude Code that stops the AI coding tool from recreating existing video games, even if a user renames the copy or calls it original. The two-sentence instruction tells Claude to build original games, games in a genre and games from a user’s own designs and assets, but not a recreation of a specific title.Anthropic engineer Addy Osmani confirmed the change on October 30. He said the sentences were added to Claude Code’s prompt on Opus 5.5 because using Claude to infringe IP is against the company’s usage policy. Original games should keep working, he added, and anyone wrongly refused can send the case to him.The rule was first spotted by an X user called chasm, who traced it to a flag named “tengu_heron_brook” that reached Claude Code around October 27. There is reportedly no setting to switch it off.
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