AI in the video games industry has been a hot topic for quite some time and now Assassin’s Creed developer Jade Raymond has shared her thoughts on the subject. AI-generated content is kind of a trend these days and several companies have been debating and discussing the use of AI in video game development.
Generative AI can be seen in almost everything today whether it is art, music, or design and while it’s not very commonly used, some companies want to use artificial intelligence to facilitate game development, which will both save time and money. But a big question lingers; Is the industry ready? Will the games be at par with today’s standard?
Assassin’s Creed Developer Believes AI in Game Development Is Inevitable
Jade Raymond, the former Assassin’s Creed developer joined Raph Koster, co-director of Everquest 2 got together for an issue of Edge Magazine and talked about the use of AI tools in video game development.
The two sat down to discuss and said that they believe AI tools in game development are unavoidable and that money will be the driving force behind it. The duo are certain that it will happen someday regardless of what the public is saying and companies will heavily invest in new technology to help with game development.
The former Assassin’s Creed developer who is now working on Fairgame$ at Haven Interactive said that it could prove very valuable in the R&D phase and improve production timelines. Raymond stated:
AAA games have gone from taking teams of 50 people two years to make to now sometimes taking teams of hundreds of people more than ten years to make.
At Haven, one way we are evolving to improve our production processes is through investing in R&D around generative AI and machine learning, in the belief these technologies will eventually help game developers reverse that trend and unlock more creativity from developers and players alike.
Raph Koster said that big budgets for video games are an industry-wide headache and although there is still doubt on AI content, the tools could help cut down the expenses. The developer added that AI will not be used much for plots now as AI “suck at generating plots.”
He said it is currently only good for simple phrases but it could still very well happen soon the technology advances. Koster stated:
Developers hate it, many players dislike it, there’s a general current against it, and the money is still going to drive absolutely everybody to do it because otherwise, the cost curves are not sustainable.
The AI isn’t very reliable at the time with the tools making mistakes with simple and easy things such as a recent apology from the Gollum developer after the disastrous game. There were reports that the apology was generated using ChatGPT and the wrong name of the game somewhat confirmed the reports.
Koster further mentioned that as more gamers get old, they’ll want more new experiences in their senior years. Assassin’s Creed developer Raymond added that this could open up a new type of mass market for video games. Raymond said:
I believe that this will open up the market for a new type of mass-market game tailored to the needs of retired gamers. Multiplayer games that are designed to be experienced and played across generations could be a new trend.
Immersive games built to learn and develop hobby skills like gardening could be another niche. Designing games to meet the needs of a mass market of retirees is kind of fun to imagine and not the target audience we currently focus on.
It can’t be said for certain just yet when AI could make a place in video game development but there will surely be discussions on this topic for a long time. While AI tools could be beneficial in game development, cutting down expenses and years-long development, there would still be several kinds of hurdles that the industry might face.
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