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As the video game industry continues to grow and prosper, there are certain aspects of the creative process that raise concerns among both developers and consumers. The very essence of game development has always been the product of creative ideas, effort, and a willingness to tell stories that innovate the medium of interactive media.
Unfortunately, many corporations look for ways to shorten this effort in hopes of using new tools and earning the most profits, while skipping the part where real people are involved.
One such organization seems to be Square Enix, the company behind popular titles likeFinal Fantasy,NieR Automata,andOctopath Traveler. The company known for some of the most brilliantly crafted games seems to be changing its approach to how investors and leadership roles look in game development. Especially in the context of AI and related tools that serve grave concerns.
The Dangers of Square Enix’s Yearly Promises
Every year, Square Enix holds up the boldness to bring about the company’s upcoming vision and outlook toward how things should be when it comes to making games. Last year, there was a heavy focus on NFT and Blockchain. NFTs, to this day, seem like a tech-connoisseur’s dream that never left a child’s playground.
What seems to be a simple letter from the company’s president may just be a reflection of where things are heading for the industry as a whole. The community as a whole showed its share of concerns and rejection of an idea no one was willing to invest in. However, Square Enix was adamant about keeping it as a part of the company’s larger picture.
This year, NFT isn’t the only part of the one-sided conversation.2024’sletter includes an alarming amount of talk about artificial intelligence and how the company intends to push its boundaries. At first glance, this may feel like a progressive push for creators to maximize output, but the more one reads through the letter, the more one realizes how out of touch it feels.
Herein lies the larger concern; this isn’t an even conversation between two passionate indie artists, it’s a letter from a multi-million dollar corporation that is likely to attract the attention of many such groups of people. In fact, folks at EA and Ubisoft have already started heavily implementing the use of AI into their respective creative processes.
Power Lies in the Hands of Those Who Are Far From the Creative Process
The letter reads like a mutually agreed upon decision to bring artificial intelligence to life with further changes and implementations to the creative process. But, there’s not enough depth or even a hint about how well these changes will actually impact the lives of creatives. Unsurprisingly, one of the paragraphs even talks about sales, profits, and everything in between:
We see this as an effective means not only to maximize our sales of new titles, but also to deliver our rich back catalog to more customers and in turn to expand the fan base for our Group’s intellectual properties (IPs).
Furthermore, there are a few lines from the president of Square Enix, Takashi Kiryu, which make an attempt at understanding the nitty-gritty of art created by humans, and how artificial intelligence helps the process. But, take it with a grain of salt:
I believe that generative AI has the potential not only to reshape what we create, but also to fundamentally change the processes by which we create, including programming.
We also intend to be aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions.
Artists and programmers, as you may be aware, are the foundational resources to any creative team in the video game industry. These few lines hold the power to negate the fact that artificial intelligence is likely to never mimic the humanistic process that goes into the building blocks of any enjoyable project.
Think of all the animators, concept artists, voice-over artists, programmers, QA testers. The list goes on, and the promise of AI doing a‘better job’goes even further.
The Ongoing Debate About Human Art vs Generative AI
To be the devil’s advocate for a moment, not all artificial intelligence is bad. In fact, integrations from the likes of Inworld AI can help developers fasten the process of NPCs and related mechanics in a game’s concept before creators choose to polish the game further. It can save months’ worth of time and allow developers to focus on more crucial tasks.
However, not every studio and publisher has fair intentions in mind. Many are simply looking for ways of cutting through timelines and bringing about changes to the game development process that skip to the part where profits are made and half-baked games are delivered at full prices.
Take a look at another way the letter has worded the company’s major focus on profits which is evident from the letter.
In the short term, our goal will be to enhance our development productivity and achieve greater sophistication in our marketing efforts.
In the longer term, we hope to leverage those technologies to create new forms of content for consumers, as we believe that technological innovation represents business opportunities.
Generative AI has the potential to do a lot. Ubisoft has already appointed people who are working with a tool called Ghostwriter that assists writers with NPC dialogue. Then there’s Bungie which is likely to expand future projects based on how well employees can work with Generative AI. There are many more stories like these, and there’s no single argument that is either in favor of AI or against it.
Where Should Gamers Place Their Trust?
Ultimately, it is up to studios and how they choose to implement AI into their creative processes. A popular game likeThe Finalshas already used voice-over artists that aren’t even real, despite being a well-funded project.
How long until we have single-player campaigns fully voiced by AI? No matter how accurate and convincing they sound, a part of the player’s psyche will always be able to tell the difference.
A start like this in 2024 may bring discontentment to certain fans of popular franchises likeFinal Fantasy. It’s high time to start thinking of what a detailed RPG with carefully written characters and quests can feel like when AI is involved at an‘aggressive’level.
At the end of the day, it’s truly up to you, the reader, to form an opinion about AI and its role in the video game industry. In the meantime, the gaming community online isn’t too happy about Square Enix’s push for artificial intelligence, understandably so.
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Tanay Sharma
Articles Published :636
Tanay is a gaming writer who wears more hats than Red Dead Redemption 2 characters. He’s a musician, writer, voice-over artist and adores interactive media. He covers everything from game reviews to interviews with developers. His favorite games are the ones with memorable stories and characters. He’s also pursuing a master’s degree in Behavioral Sciences. No, he won’t read your mind.
