Former God of War Dev On the Use of AI in Games Development: “If We Don’t Embrace It, We’re Selling Ourselves Short”

There’s nary question that 1 of the biggest talking points during past week’s Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show came retired of Dead Space creator Glen Schofield’s opening keynote address, regarding his plans to “fix” the manufacture successful portion via the usage of generative AI successful games development. In summation to speaking with Schofield, IGN managed to get immoderate clip with different manufacture veteran, Meghan Morgan Juinio, to inquire for her thoughts connected the arguable signifier that has antecedently been met with choler from Call of Duty fans, but besides large enactment from games manufacture executives similar EA CEO Andrew Wilson.

“I deliberation if we don’t clasp it, I deliberation we’re selling ourselves short,” said Juinio, who precocious vacated her relation arsenic manager of merchandise improvement astatine Santa Monica Studio aft 10 years and 2 hugely palmy God of War games. “AI is simply a tool, and thing that volition augment us. At slightest for close now, that’s however I spot it. It’s going to germinate whether you’re onboard with it oregon not, truthful I privation to beryllium astatine the forefront of helping to usher however that goes and however we usage it.”

Juinio went connected to comparison the usage of generative AI to the procedurally-generated contented that's been a portion of games improvement for decades now, pointing to SpeedTree – a instrumentality for generating trees successful existent clip – which was utilized arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2002 for the foliage successful The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. She besides recalled a clip erstwhile animators were pushing backmost against question seizure and the usage of procedural procreation to blend animation frames alternatively than cardinal them by hand. Both procedurally generated assets and animations person agelong go modular practices successful games development, and Juinio seems conscionable arsenic assured that generative AI volition besides find its place.

“Personally, I’m ace positive,” said Juinio. “Like [Glen Schofield said successful his keynote address], this is the adjacent large technological advancement that’s coming. In information it’s present already, and I deliberation arsenic leaders successful the video crippled manufacture it is connected america to fig retired not conscionable can we bash it with AI, but should we? And it’s a case-by-case benignant of determination making process and what's existent for crippled X mightiness not beryllium existent adjacent twelvemonth for crippled Y.”

When asked if she thought the expanding adoption of generative AI mightiness assistance mitigate the swelling costs of AAA-games development, Juinio was wide that the usage of AI successful games improvement is improbable to beryllium the be-all end-all solution to the post-pandemic signifier of regular workplace closures and the bursting of the blockbuster crippled bubble.

“I wouldn’t needfully enactment it into an either/or benignant of script successful that way, due to the fact that to maine the size and standard and quality of the crippled isn’t the main thing,” said Juinio. “At its heart, the crippled [needs] to beryllium fun. [Ideally] astatine its bosom the communicative is fantastic, it’s human, players link to it, and it’s amusive to play.”

“And yes it looks beautiful, and yes the euphony is immersive. But the euphony could beryllium truly immersive and the gameplay could beryllium not good, oregon the communicative [might] not beryllium engaging, and I don't deliberation it would resonate with players arsenic much. And truthful astatine slightest for close now, I don't spot AI replacing the amusive gameplay that is astatine the bosom of a crippled similar God of War.”

Although Juinio seems adament that generative AI successful games improvement is present to stay, she besides remains assured that it volition ne'er beryllium capable to rival the bosom and psyche that tin lone travel from a quality touch, and that the adoptance of AI volition lone beryllium a affirmative if there's an adjacent magnitude of concern made into developers to assistance them get the champion results retired of it.

“At the extremity of the time you inactive request crippled developers to travel up with the ideas,” said Juinio. “The communicative of God of War is precise overmuch a quality communicative that is based connected quality experiences.”

“At slightest arsenic of today, I don’t spot that going away.”

Earlier this period the makers of Battlefield 6 stated that determination was presently nary mode to instrumentality the usage of generative AI into the regular enactment of its improvement team, contempt regarding the burgeoning exertion arsenic “very seducing”.

Indeed the statement implicit generative AI is bigger than in-game assets. At the commencement of October, Nintendo issued a connection successful effect to claims astir generative AI, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling Sora 2 copyrighted quality videos “interactive instrumentality fiction.”

Tristan Ogilvie is simply a elder video exertion astatine IGN's Sydney office. He attended Gamescom Asia x Thai Game Show 2025 arsenic a impermanent of the lawsuit organiser.