Generative AI, though pitched as a revolution, remains taboo. Game developers like Stardew Valley's Eric Barone and Subnautica 2 studio Unknown Worlds openly avoid or malign it. The makers of trophy-adorned RPGs like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 faced severe backlash over whiffs of gen AI. Nvidia DLSS 5's AI-powered filter stoked fierce rejection among devs and players.
Other game developers and, especially, executives do see value in AI. Bethesda boss Todd Howard called it a potentially useful "tool," just not for generation. But the CEOs of EA and Ubisoft have championed AI as the tech of the future, with the latter investing heavily in "player-facing generative AI" specifically. 2025 hit Arc Raiders famously used loads of AI voices (and later replaced many with people), and Summer Game Fest 2026 has seen myriad AI-aided games.
