Since we've first had enemies "thinking" for themselves in video games, we've been thinking about AI in our gaming experiences. Now, the term means something much different, and players aren't all too hyped if a developer uses GenAI, especially without their knowing.
This was the case with the recently released Crimson Desert. In the post clarifying the developers' decision and apologising for the use of GenAI, former Blizzard CEO and Microsoft VP Mike Ybarra stepped in with his two cents, in a response that has since been heavily critiqued.
"Why apologize? AI, in one form or another, will be in every single video game," Ybarra writes. "I don't get why devs feel the need to bend over for the few folks who can't accept the reality that AI will be in every single thing - from video games to your fridge (it already is). Man up."
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Ybarra's statement has been critiqued by a lot of people replying to the same post, saying it shows his disconnect from the wider gaming audience. Streamer and former Blizzard developer Pirate Software said it was "peak CEO disconnect."
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It seems that audiences are becoming more accepting of AI being found in their games, so long as that AI is going to be patched out, like in the case of Crimson Desert or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. However, fans did wish that the AI usage had been disclosed ahead of time, as per Steam's terms of service.