The recent statement by Nexon CEO, Junghun Lee, regarding the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the video game industry has sparked intense debate. Lee stated that “all companies are using AI right now,” provoking strong reactions among independent developers who oppose this trend. His statement comes in a context where the industry is divided between those who support the use of AI and those who remain reluctant to adopt it.
A defense that is not working well for them
A notable example is the case of the video game ARC Raiders, where the studio has decided not to rely on AI for the main narrative. However, text-to-speech technology has been implemented to generate procedural dialogues and initial 3D models created with AI have also been used, although all results are refined by the human team. Lee argued that, in an environment where everyone uses similar technologies, the true differentiation will depend on human creativity. “If everyone is working with the same technologies, the real question is: how do you survive?” he stated.
However, his words have found strong opposition. Studios like Necrosoft, developer of Demonschool, emphasized their rejection, stating that “I would rather cut off my arms than use AI.” Similarly, Huskrafts, known for Rogue Eclipse, also expressed their commitment to keeping their work free of AI, with internal agreements that prohibit its use. Other developers, such as Neil Jones from Aerial Knight and Xalavier Nelson Jr. from Strange Scaffold, agreed that AI has never been necessary to create good video games, calling for greater resistance to the normalization of its use in the industry.
The debate surrounding artificial intelligence in video game development seems far from resolved, with an increasingly vocal indie sector rejecting this technology.
