Anthropic has changed the instructions guiding Claude Code to steer the AI coding tool away from recreating specific existing video games. The update, reported by Tom’s Hardware, leaves room for users to develop original games, including projects based on their own designs and assets, while discouraging direct copies of other titles.
The change comes amid a proliferation of AI-made decompilations, recompilations and ports in retro gaming. Anthropic’s stated approach draws a distinction between using Claude Code to create a game and asking it to reproduce a particular existing one. Game development remains an intended use of the tool, according to the company’s explanation of the update.
Attention turned to the instructions last week when a user on X shared a screenshot purportedly showing two sentences newly added to Claude Code’s system prompt. The displayed wording encouraged original games, games within a genre and projects using the user’s own designs and assets. It also instructed the tool against recreating a specific existing game, including when a request describes that recreation as original.
Responding to the post, Anthropic’s Addy Osmani confirmed that the company had added two sentences to Claude Code’s prompt on Opus 5.5. He did not verify the exact wording shown in the screenshot. His response nevertheless confirmed the purpose of the adjustment: to discourage the tool from rebuilding someone else’s specific game.
Osmani linked that decision to Anthropic’s rules on intellectual property. He said that “using Claude to infringe IP is against our usage policy.” At the same time, he said original games, projects based on a genre and games made with users’ own designs and assets were intended to continue working with Claude Code.
The company also indicated that the instructions could receive further adjustments. Osmani said Anthropic would keep refining its approach to find the right balance, and he invited users to bring him cases in which Claude refuses a project that belongs to them. That invitation accompanied his assurance that users’ own game projects should remain supported.
The scope of any changes beyond Claude Code on Opus 5.5 remains unresolved in the report. The Verge said it had asked Anthropic whether other Claude system prompts had already been updated or would receive similar changes.
