Last year, Call of Duty came under fire for a number of calling cards and other cosmetics that were pretty glaringly AI-generated in their aesthetic.
Modern Warfare 4 is just a few short months from release, and players are likely wondering if that trend is set to continue. At a group presentation in New York City ahead of MW4’s Kill Block map being playable at Fanatics Fest today, the subject inevitably came up.
Infinity Ward co-studio head Mark Grigsby was on hand for the presentation, and when he was asked if MW4 devs used AI tools in development, he pantomimed as if he was walking around on eggshells or through a proverbial minefield before fielding the question. The short answer is yes, they do.
“We use whatever tools we have to enhance and help our developers to complete [tasks] on time,” Grigsby said. “For the game, there’s developmental things. We use whatever we can, whatever tools we can [in development].”
At this point, AI usage in game dev is no longer a secret. In fact, MW4’s Steam page says that the development team “uses generative AI tools to help develop some in-game assets.” Grigsby’s answer/non-answer echoed a lot of what Activision said in a statement last November, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, either.
“Like so many around the world, we use a variety of digital tools, including AI tools, to empower and support our teams to create the best gaming experiences possible for our players,” Activision said shortly after Black Ops 7’s launch in response to some backlash. “Our creative process continues to be led by the talented individuals in our studios.”
It’s still unclear just how these AI tools are used in game dev, but my guess is that they act as a shortcut to speed up development time. Are these tools actively replacing actual humans with jobs? That remains to be seen, but it sure feels like Pandora’s Box has been opened when it comes to these tools being used in everyday game dev, and it doesn’t seem like it’ll be going away any time soon.
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