Nintendo, a well-known gaming company, has its own take on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in game development. During a recent Q&A session with investors, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa shared his thoughts on this topic. While AI is becoming increasingly popular in the tech industry and many companies are planning to incorporate it into their game development processes, Furukawa believes that these two areas have always been closely connected.
Furukawa pointed out that AI has traditionally been used for simulating non-player character (NPC) behavior but now includes generative AI, which has caught the attention of investors and executives looking to cut costs. Although Furukawa recognizes the potential of generative AI in terms of creativity, Nintendo has no plans to use it in their first-party games. The main concern is copyright issues that arise when using models trained on others’ work. Nintendo wants to maintain the exclusivity and uniqueness of their brand by delivering value that is not found elsewhere.
In contrast to Nintendo’s stance, other gaming giants like Electronic Arts and Take-Two fully embrace LLMs and AI technologies. Electronic Arts sees a significant positive impact on their development processes from generative AI, while Take-Two acknowledges that AI tools can enhance efficiency but emphasizes that true hits are created by human genius.
Ubisoft is also actively developing proprietary generative tools such as NEO NPC project, which allows players to engage in meaningful conversations with in-game characters. Despite advancements in AI technology, Ubisoft recognizes the importance of human touch in creating successful and memorable games.
Overall, while the use of AI in game development is becoming more prevalent, each company has its own unique perspective on how best to incorporate it into their processes while maintaining quality control and exclusivity.