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As game developers push back on generative AI, publishing and communications head John Buckley of Palworld developer Pocketpair suggests the division around the tech is another reason to avoid it.
"Gamers don't want it," he says, "and if the gamers don't want it, I guess that's it, right? Not much of a conversation to be had."
At this month's Summer Game Fest alone, several games, including the revived Crazy Taxi and the latest Tomb Raider, rushed to explain their use of AI after some fans reacted with concern or criticism.
Speaking with GamesRadar+, Buckley, who's previously shut down claims that Pocketpair used generative AI for some of the creatures or assets in Palworld, affirms that the company doesn't use gen AI at all.
"I'm sure some people are doing it," he says. "It's not really for us. I personally can't imagine it ever being too prominent. I'm sure there are some companies out there, some big companies, that are maybe using it to 'save time.' I don't know. I don't really think gen AI has much – I don't want to call it a bubble, but I don't know how much longer it's gonna keep up. Even Steam is pushing back a certain amount on it."
Mandatory AI use disclosures at the bottom of Steam store pages have been used to show how games were made at a time where any usage could be a deal-breaker for some people, both developers and players. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney opposed Steam's AI disclosures, which are not shared by the Epic Games Store, on the grounds that "AI will be involved in nearly all future production".
Even if you did ignore the backlash AI use regularly ignites, Buckley says Pocketpair has no need for the technology because, "We have a lot of artists in-house. They like doing stuff themselves. There's no reason to get rid of them for the sake of an AI doing it. Just seems pointless."
Buckley is less sure of the future of AI-assisted coding, but on gen AI more broadly, he says "it's hard to imagine where that goes in gaming." He points to Steam Next Fest, a seasonal event which sees thousands of game devs post demos on Steam in the hopes of reaching players. Buckley laments seeing more and more AI-generated assets and/or listing images appear in recent Steam Next Fest games, and echoes many of the complaints voiced by players.
"Even I, who is in the industry, I just felt like a natural, ugh, why? The rest of your game looks fine. Did you need to...? I think that's going to be the attitude for quite a while. I think people will look at it and say, did you need to do that? Couldn't you just do it yourself?"
Buckley previously argued that the spread of generative AI and associated tools would contribute to an "authenticity market" where creators may deliberately lead with assurances like, "This game's 100% human-made," both to head off any concerns and to separate themselves from AI-generated works. Already, I've begun to see devs clarify, unprompted, in emails and store pages that they are pushing back on AI games or that no AI was used in their own production.
"I don't know if we need to now start saying this is 100% human-made," Buckley adds. "I think we should just all assume games are human-made unless said otherwise. I think it's a bit dystopian that it might end up like that. We'll have to put a Steam disclaimer, 'This game is made by humans.' That's kind of sad to think about."
As a senior at a Japanese company, he also reflects on regional divides in AI opinions, reasoning that some markets are more open to the technology. Analysts and some other developers have also suggested that companies in China or Korea, for example, may be quicker to embrace or at least experiment with the tech. Stellar Blade maker Shift Up is one prominent example; its CEO, Hyung-Tae Kim, said earlier this year that gen AI could help Korean studios compete with the manpower of studios in China and the United States. (So far, there's no indication of AI-generated art in newly revealed sequel Stellar Blade: Blood Rain.)
"Not saying I am, but there are some markets that are a lot more willing to adapt than some others, and I think that's where the clashing will come," Buckley explains. "Two to three years from now, we'll see a bigger clash in that regard. Certainly in the West, I think people will remain pretty against [it] for a while."
