The discussion around the use of artificial intelligence in the gaming industry has been ongoing for a long time. While some developers categorically refuse such technologies, others actively integrate them into their workflows. Thomas Mahler, CEO of Moon Studios and lead developer of Ori and No Rest for the Wicked, shared his position on this matter.
According to Mahler, he clearly distinguishes between the application of AI for automating routine tasks and the use of generative models for creating creative content.
As an example, he recounted that one of the gameplay designers manually compiled a large Excel spreadsheet with data for animators. Instead, Mahler suggested assigning AI to write a small tool that would automatically export the necessary information, freeing employees from tedious manual work and the need to open an editor.
The developer believes that artificial intelligence is ideally suited for such tasks.
Let the computer do what the computer does best. This is exactly the kind of work we always hated doing manually.
At the same time, the head of Moon Studios is skeptical about using generative AI for creating graphics, storylines, and dialogues. In his opinion, modern models are not yet able to compete with the work of professional artists and screenwriters.
Mahler admitted that he had repeatedly tested such tools, but each time he was disappointed with the result. He called the generated images too generic, and the stories and dialogues significantly inferior to what talented authors can create.
Furthermore, even if technologies advance significantly in the future, Moon Studios will likely still continue to create content manually. According to the studio head, the team prefers to have full control over the quality of their work, rather than relying on algorithms.