Generative artificial intelligence adoption in game development has triggered fierce debate over AI-generated art, voice acting, and digital assets, with players and creators accusing studios of sacrificing quality and authenticity for efficiency.
Activision acknowledged using AI in “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7,” released November 14, after players complained cosmetic profile images appeared stylistically out of place and were clearly AI-produced.
Nexon’s Swedish subsidiary Embark Studios faced similar backlash over “Arc Raiders.”
The survival shooter launched to strong reviews with high technical polish and over 480,000 concurrent Steam users, but Western players discovered character voices were AI-generated rather than human-recorded, calling performances “soulless.”
Eurogamer issued a harsh two-star review, citing AI voice acting as a major flaw, lower than its score for Sony Interactive Entertainment’s failed title “Concord,” which shut down after two weeks last year.
Fans criticised Eurogamer for an “irrational” assessment, intensifying the dispute.
Illustrators and voice actors across major markets have organised against AI encroachment.
SAG-AFTRA, the Hollywood actors’ union, condemned Epic Games in May for using AI-generated character voices in “Fortnite” and filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.
In Japan, the Japan Video Association and Japan Cartoonists Association issued a joint statement last month with major publishers including Kadokawa and Kodansha, demanding OpenAI disclose training data used to develop video-generation model Sora 2.
Despite criticism, many studios argue AI is now indispensable to production.
Krafton declared an “AI-first” transition last month, pledging to integrate AI into development and management, despite reporting record cumulative operating profit in Q3 and simultaneously offering voluntary resignation programs to all employees.
The company denied links between the program and workforce cuts, though many view it as AI-driven restructuring.
An executive at a midsize Korean studio said AI tools have been used since 2022 for planning and concept development, with some AI-generated images incorporated into final assets after retouching.
“Players are resistant,” he said, “but considering the pace of AI development, this is an unavoidable trend.”
An outsourcing firm representative said original art commissions dropped to “half of previous levels” since last year, attributing the decline to rising AI use in concept art production.
The tension between innovation and craftsmanship raises questions about how much creative process players will accept being handed over to machines.
AI adoption threatens traditional creative roles while studios face pressure to reduce costs and accelerate production timelines in an increasingly competitive market.