Ubisoft is no stranger to controversy, and as the Stop Destroying Video Games movement proved, they’re often at the center of it. This time, it is not about microtransactions, live-service fatigue, or Assassin’s Creed bloat. Instead, it is a bold claim from the very top. Apparently, Ubisoft’s CEO, Yves Guillemot, thinks generative AI is just as impactful as the advent of 3D games.
The Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64 are the primary consoles attributed to popularizing 3D games, though there were many earlier 3D titles like 3D Monster Maze. The jump to 3D wasn’t about polygon or camera angles; it was about design freedom. Exploration replaced scrolling, movement became expression, and open-world traversal became the norm. Is AI really as revolutionary as what I just described?
According to Gamefile, the Ubisoft boss said the following near the start of an earnings call with investors:
“We are making great strides in applying Gen AI to high-value use cases that bring tangible benefits to our players and teams…It’s as big as a revolution for our industry as the shift to 3D. And we have everything to lead on this front.”
Is This Really A Comparison We’re Making Now?
Whether you like it or not, generative AI does have a huge impact on game development. The Steam page for EA FC 26 features an AI-generated content disclosure, and ARC Raiders uses AI voices for its NPCs. Some developers may use AI to accelerate asset creation, while others utilize it to assist in writing filler dialogue. These are all quiet development practices that happen behind the scenes, and there’s always outrage when gamers find out generative AI is used to any extent.
The point is that AI is mostly changing how games are made, not how they are played. Is it useful and impacting the industry? Certainly. Does it change how a game feels in your hands the way 3D did? Absolutely not.
Of course, context matters here. Guillemot did not say this at a developer roundtable or a game developer conference. It was said during an earnings call. He was speaking to investors, not players. Generative AI sounds great to investors and shareholders as it lowers production costs, speeds up asset creation, and reduces reliance on external contractors. Yes, all that sounds scary from the perspective of layoffs, but that’s the way the industry is going.
Coming back to the player’s perspective, AI use is a production shortcut, not a gameplay or design revolution. It’s invisible when done well, but painfully noticeable when done badly. It also doesn’t help that a statement like this comes from a company that relies on a templated open-world design for Assassin’s Creed and repetitive content structures.
