Actually filmed in Bulgaria: Humankind 2 developers swear they didn't use AI for the game's debut trailer

Amplitude studio assures that they even invited real actors.

One of the notable announcements from the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 pre-show was Humankind 2 — a sequel to Amplitude Studios' historical 4X strategy game released in 2021. The game was presented with a cinematic trailer that showed almost no gameplay but immediately raised suspicions among viewers about the use of generative AI.

The video depicts the history of humanity through different eras. The camera follows a newborn child and in each scene focuses on the character holding it. The rapid change of historical periods, the peculiar camera work, and the visual style of the trailer led many viewers to compare it to modern videos created with generative neural networks.

In the comments under the announcement post on X, users began directly asking the developers if AI was involved.

Amplitude promptly responded to these suspicions and stated that generative AI was not used in the creation of the trailer.

According to the studio, the Humankind 2 game trailer, in the format of a game film, was shot on location at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia. Real actors, practical sets, and props specially made for the production were used for the filming. The developers also promised to soon show behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot.