Image: Naughty Dog
Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann thinks AI has a big role to play in the future of game development.
In a recent interview published by Sony, The Last of Us game director Neil Druckmann spoke on the “evolution of storytelling across mediums,” which as it turns out, has a lot to do with AI. Druckmann confirmed that game studio Naughty Dog plans to embrace AI tools to further game development in the years to come, going so far as to say that, “AI is really going to revolutionize how content is being created.”
However, the game director also noted that “it does bring up some ethical issues we need to address."
Naughty Dog studio head Neil Druckmann teases next game, talks AI
AI has evolved in a colourful variety of ways in recent years, which has led to an equally colourful variety of reactions from people who either don’t want to lose their jobs or want to embrace these tools to create all manner of content. In game development, however, AI tools have always been used to do things like procedurally generate levels, create swathes of in-game terrain, or monitor in-game voice chat to reduce toxicity.
With AI becoming more prominently used in other mediums of art to wildly inconsistent results, some are worried that their favourite games might become infected with uncanny valley-like AI-generated imagery, unpaid AI-generated voicework and so on. Naughty Dog’s studio head Neil Druckmann is, however, quite optimistic about marrying the worlds of AI and gaming.
In an interview with Sony, the Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and The Last of Us Part 2 game director said that, “We're seeing this exciting marriage of cutting-edge technology with traditional storytelling that's pushing us into a future where enhanced fidelity isn't just about achieving realism, but about broadening the spectrum from highly stylized visuals to ultra-realistic ones.” To be honest, this statement in itself seems a little AI-generated, because how do these ‘ultra-realistic’ visuals not fit under the umbrella of ‘achieving realism’ exactly?
He went on to say:
Moreover, AI is really going to revolutionise how content is being created, although it does bring up some ethical issues we need to address. With technologies like AI and the ability to do motion capture right from home, we're reducing both costs and technical hurdles, opening the door for us to take on more adventurous projects and push the boundaries of storytelling in games.
Druckmann mentioned AI again while giving advice to the next generation of creators, saying that, “with AI, your creativity sets the limits,” while also noting that, "tools evolve quickly - Some tools once essential, now are obsolete.” He compared the hand-animated cutscenes in the Jak and Daxter franchise to the more sophisticated motion capture work in the Uncharted franchise as an advancement in storytelling. He continued, “AI will allow us to create nuanced dialogues and characters, expanding creative possibilities. However, it's crucial to precisely direct these tools to achieve the intended outcomes.”
It should be noted that this interview is essentially a puff piece that was published right after Sony’s yearly corporate strategy meeting, touching on the company’s role in the future of entertainment. With AI being such a prominent topic of discourse these days, it’s no wonder that the interview leaned so heavily into it while expanding on Naughty Dog’s plans for the next few years of game development.
Druckmann also spoke a little on Naughty Dog’s next game in the interview, calling it, “perhaps the most thrilling yet,” and that he is, “eager to see how this new game resonates, especially following the success of The Last of Us, as it could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming.”
