James Pond is one of the classic characters of the '90s gaming scene, but time hasn't been kind to the underwater agent.
Since his third mainline adventure, Pond has been treated rather shoddily, with the ultimate insult being a Kickstarter campaign (involving original creator Chris Sorrell, who believes he was duped into giving the project his blessing) that only managed to raise £16,000 of a £100,000 goal.
Gamesware Europe, the company behind that failed crowdfunding drive and the current rights holder for the character, is prepping another Kickstarter which could potentially be related to one of two new offerings: James Pond: Rogue AI and James Pond A Bit of A Stretch, both of which are being marketed with some of the most lazy and shameless GenAI promotion we've seen in a long time.
While Gameware has gone on record stating that no AI will be used in the actual games, it has continued to roll out some highly questionable material on social media, with Sorrell himself personally highlighting the latest worrying example to Time Extension (Sorrell has previously stated that he "hates" everything Gameware does "with a passion").
In a post which went live on Facebook on August 4th, Pond is displayed as a seemingly different character entirely, complete with blue skin. "Word at the bottom of the ocean is... James Pond is resurfacing later this month," says the message attached to the image.
"A new mission is being prepped and this time, we’ll need you onboard. Stay tuned. #retrogames #kickstartersoon"
When Pond's odd colouring (presumably the result of the image being generated by AI) is pointed out by a fan, Gameware attempts to laugh it off:
"Not my most photogenic moment, I’ll admit! But hey, even secret agents have off-scales."