There’s no query that one of many greatest speaking factors throughout final week’s Gamescom Asia x Thailand Sport Present got here out of Useless Area creator Glen Schofield’s opening keynote deal with, relating to his plans to “repair” the business partially through the usage of generative AI in video games improvement. Along with talking with Schofield, IGN managed to get a while with one other business veteran, Meghan Morgan Juinio, to ask for her ideas on the controversial apply that has beforehand been met with anger from Name of Responsibility followers, but additionally main help from video games business executives like EA CEO Andrew Wilson.
“I feel if we don’t embrace it, I feel we’re promoting ourselves brief,” mentioned Juinio, who lately vacated her function as director of product improvement at Santa Monica Studio after 10 years and two massively profitable God of Battle video games. “AI is a software, and one thing that may increase us. No less than for proper now, that’s how I see it. It’s going to evolve whether or not you’re onboard with it or not, so I wish to be on the forefront of serving to to information how that goes and the way we use it.”
Juinio went on to check the usage of generative AI to the procedurally-generated content material that is been part of video games improvement for many years now, pointing to SpeedTree – a software for producing bushes in actual time – which was used as early as 2002 for the foliage in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. She additionally recalled a time when animators have been pushing again in opposition to movement seize and the usage of procedural technology to mix animation frames fairly than key them by hand. Each procedurally generated belongings and animations have lengthy develop into customary practices in video games improvement, and Juinio appears simply as assured that generative AI may also discover its place.
“Personally, I’m tremendous optimistic,” mentioned Juinio. “Like [Glen Schofield said in his keynote address], that is the subsequent huge technological development that’s coming. The truth is it’s right here already, and I feel as leaders within the online game business it’s on us to determine not simply can we do it with AI, however ought to we? And it’s a case-by-case kind of determination making course of and what’s true for sport X won’t be true subsequent 12 months for sport Y.”
When requested if she thought the growing adoption of generative AI may assist mitigate the swelling prices of AAA-games improvement, Juinio was clear that the usage of AI in video games improvement is unlikely to be the be-all end-all resolution to the post-pandemic sample of standard studio closures and the bursting of the blockbuster sport bubble.
“I wouldn’t essentially put it into an both/or form of situation in that method, as a result of to me the dimensions and scale and great thing about the sport isn’t the principle factor,” mentioned Juinio. “At its coronary heart, the sport [needs] to be enjoyable. [Ideally] at its coronary heart the story is unbelievable, it’s human, gamers hook up with it, and it’s enjoyable to play.”
“And sure it appears lovely, and sure the music is immersive. However the music may very well be actually immersive and the gameplay may very well be not good, or the story [might] not be participating, and I do not assume it will resonate with gamers as a lot. And so not less than for proper now, I do not see AI changing the enjoyable gameplay that’s on the coronary heart of a sport like God of Battle.”
Though Juinio appears adament that generative AI in video games improvement is right here to remain, she additionally stays assured that it’ll by no means be capable of rival the center and soul that may solely come from a human contact, and that the adoptance of AI will solely be a optimistic if there’s an equal quantity of funding made into builders to assist them get the perfect outcomes out of it.
“On the finish of the day you continue to want sport builders to give you the concepts,” mentioned Juinio. “The story of God of Battle may be very a lot a human story that’s primarily based on human experiences.”
“No less than as of immediately, I don’t see that going away.”
Earlier this month the makers of Battlefield 6 said that there was presently no approach to implement the usage of generative AI into the day by day work of its improvement group, regardless of relating to the burgeoning expertise as “very seducing”.
Certainly the controversy over generative AI is greater than in-game belongings. In the beginning of October, Nintendo issued a press release in response to claims round generative AI, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling Sora 2 copyrighted character movies “interactive fan fiction.”
Tristan Ogilvie is a senior video editor at IGN’s Sydney workplace. He attended Gamescom Asia x Thai Sport Present 2025 as a visitor of the occasion organiser.
