AI has seen both fervent praise and vicious criticism across the gaming industry as of late, and Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, has come out swinging against the technology stating that “The notion that AI can make GTA is laughable.” This was in response to shares trending downward for major gaming publishers after the announcement of Google’s Project Genie, which can effectively AI generate fully-playable interactive spaces.
As Zelnick says, “I was kind-of stunned by the market’s reaction, because its reaction was somehow seeing it as a threat to what we do, when it’s quite obvious that creation tools are beneficial for our industry. I think the bear case for big entertainment companies is somehow that AI tools will mean everyone can create hits, but that doesn’t stand to reason. These tools may help you create assets, but that won’t help you create hits. There are loads of assets out there now. It doesn’t matter if you push a button to create an asset, or it takes you six weeks, at the end of the day, you have an asset. And thousands of mobile games are launched every year, and there are only a handful of hits. Equally, you can create assets that might look like a big release, that might look like NBA 2K or EA Sports FC. But creating a hit of that magnitude is a completely different animal and does require human engagement and creativity.”
Zelnick’s comments ring true for those who have stayed on top of the gaming industry for the past few decades. Even independent developers have access to the same Unreal Engine technology flaunted by AAA development houses, and gaming development at large has become a lot more accessible over time. But AAA or even AA-grade hits have not materialized out of thin air, and even the greatest indie successes like Expedition 33 or Hollow Knight: Silksong come from developers with lots of industry pedigree or funding. Smash hits like ARC Raiders often require both factors to be in play. The expected “democratization”, if it could be called that, of successful game development has yet to materialize despite it being easier than ever to make or release a game.
Strauss also touches on this, when the interviewer presses him on the idea that Project Genie could help level the playing field. Strauss stresses, “Not even the littlest bit. There’s already plenty of technology out there […] The notion that somehow new tools would allow an individual to push a button and generate a hit and bring it to many millions of consumers around the world, it’s a laughable notion. It’s just never been the case with entertainment. […] Every entertainment business that was supposed to be destroyed by new technology hasn’t been. […] We’re all fine. We survived.”
While many executive-level decision makers have been enamored by the idea of gen-AI boosting efficiency and lowering costs, the head of a publisher soon to produce one of the largest-scale video game launches of all time remains distinctly pro-artist and pro-tech. The full Strauss Zelnick interview over at The Game Business speaks a lot about the general status of the gaming industry and surrounding industries, and it’s a refreshingly grounded look at the current landscape of gaming, tech, and art to come from a gaming executive in a long time.
Image Credit: Christopher Michel via Flickr (Creative Commons 4.0 license)