Sony just announced a new Horizon game with Horizon Steel Frontiers, an MMO launching on mobile and PC, and it’s not gone down all that well with fans.
To make matters worse, developer NCSOFT has now stated the game has been built partially using AI assistance — a topic that’s divisive, to say the least.
In an article on Korean site Ruliweb, the team is quizzed about several upcoming titles, among them Horizon Steel Frontiers.
Answering a question about AI NPCs in the game, NCSOFT confirms that AI is being used “extensively” throughout development.
Here’s the full answer, translated by ResetEra user Neha:
“Within the company, we are testing and receiving help from basic NPCs in the process of cooperating or fighting together in combat. In our case, since it’s an ARPG, we are receiving help in various aspects, such as determining the optimal number of players for gameplay rather than playing with a large number of users. Internally, we are also using AI assistance for production, from coding to art.
It is being substantially implemented in actual development, and the technologies will likely be revealed one by one later. The Horizon development team is also the team that wants to utilize AI the most. We are using it extensively, and you will be able to see the level of AI utilization increase significantly in the games released after Aion 2.”
NCSOFT says Horizon Steel Frontiers utilises AI to help with various aspects of production, “from coding to art”.
Obviously, generative AI tools have been a huge point of contention as the technology continues to proliferate and improve.
Another developer that’s come under fire for its AI usage is Embark Studio, which recently launched the massively successful ARC Raiders.
It does seem this sort of thing will become more common going forward, with every developer and publisher having to draw their own conclusions on how best to use the tech, if they’re going to at all.
Anyway, this AI stuff in Horizon Steel Frontiers isn’t going to help its image among some fans, many of whom are already miffed the game is skipping PS5 for now.
What do you make of this? Tell us in the comments section below.