Unlike all other media, few people are given the status of author in video games. The consideration of being a creator, of establishing artistic principles, is given to very few people. We have Hideo Kojima, Shinji Mikami, Suda51, but they all share something in common: they are Japanese. It is uncommon for someone outside of Japan to achieve that author figure. One of the few is Neil Druckmann.
Creator of the Uncharted saga and The Last of Us saga, Druckmann is recognized even outside the realm of video games as an author. Whether we like his work or not, it is undeniable that he has had a great influence in shaping the modern AAA. And now he says he plans to do it once again.
According to a recent interview, the new game that Naughty Dogs, their studio, is working on will redefine the mainstream perception of video games. Although they haven’t commented anything about the game or how they will achieve this, they have assured that it is their most exciting project to date. However, as we mentioned, they haven’t provided any details about why.
At the same time, he wanted to give himself some credit on this matter. Stating that The Last of Us has already closed a large part of the gap between the gaming audience and the general audience, thanks to the HBO series he supervised, he sees this as the next natural step. Something that only creates even more anticipation about what he is working on.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest fears of artists has also emerged in this same interview. Druckmann has also talked about the use of generative AI. Praising it as a revolutionary way to create content, he claims that they have cut costs by using generative AI. According to his words, AI allows them to create dialogues and characters with nuances, expanding current creative possibilities.
While he acknowledges that there are certain ethical implications to be smoothed out, he doesn’t seem concerned at all. Even when everything that AI does, or at least everything he has said AI does for Naughty Dogs, can be done by humans. Suggesting that this cost savings is achieved through cutting workers. Something that Naughty Dogs has had problems with for years, due to poor business management by Druckmann.
If the AI revolution will be such is something that remains to be seen. What seems evident is that Druckmann has a clear perspective on how he wants the future to be. And that is the first step to change the present.
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