ESL FACEIT Group is the latest company to jump into the AI art trend, inviting criticism from esports fans online.
This follows after Open AI launched its latest update, resulting in a surge of Studio Ghibli-themed AI anime art to surface online as a popular social media trend.
The backlash concerns a specific tweet posted on X by ESL’s Counter-Strike account on March 26th, 2025. Four different images, with the caption ‘if Counter-Strike was a Studio Ghibli movie,’ were released to the public.
What was intended as a fun reminiscence of iconic moments was instead met with outrage from fans, criticising the esports tournament organiser for relying on ‘AI slop’ instead of hiring an artist.
“Posting AI garbage like this is so pathetic,” one user wrote on X. “It really takes away everything that makes these key moments in Counter Strike so meaningful.”
The comment sentiments aren’t one-sided, however, with some notable users showing more tolerance and support for the company’s use of AI in this instance.
In a response on X, Michal Kabele, an esports commentator, said: “It’s surprisingly one-sided here. I would expect esports people to be ready for technology and not reject it like this.
“AI is replacing and will continue to replace. People may like it or not, but one thing is certain: it will become more and more common. This is still just the beginning.”
The trend in question surrounds AI-generated art mimicking the style of Studio Ghibli, which is responsible for Academy Award-winning films such as Spirited Away.
ESL is one of the longest-standing professional esports leagues that organises competitive tournaments for the Counter-Strike game series. This year, Season 21 saw new viewership records despite suffering from viewer decline.
Esports Organisations Receive Backlash For Jumping on AI Trend
ESL is not the only one to post Studio Ghibli-inspired AI art, with esports organisations such as FaZe Clan making similar posts online.
FaZe Clan released an AI art post on X with the caption ‘if the subathon was a Studio Ghibli movie,’ with even the founder Richard ‘FaZe Banks’ Bengston responding with their own AI pieces.
OpTic Gaming, which recently resigned Cuyler ‘Huke’ Garland, also published its own series of Studio Ghibli AI art to a mixed reception online. Considering that Optic is one of the oldest esports organisations, many fans and creators voiced their disappointment.
In a response on X, YouTuber Tyler ‘McNasty’ said: “You could literally pay an artist $100 for this and it would take them like four hours max. This is just lazy.”