Daniel Vávra is unfazed by the prospect of artificial intelligence eventually stepping into his shoes.
The creative force behind the Kingdom Come dilogy and Warhorse co-founder, Daniel Vávra, recently weighed in on the controversy surrounding Larian Studios’ admission that they use AI for concept art. Despite Larian CEO Swen Vincke’s attempts to clarify that the studio is still actively hiring artists and utilizes AI primarily as a reference tool—much like a search engine or a digital mood board—the backlash remained fierce. Vocal critics have slammed Larian, with some even calling for a total boycott of their titles.
Vávra stepped up to support his industry colleagues, suggesting it is time for the public to accept the inevitable: game studios will only continue to integrate AI more deeply into their workflows.
This AI hysteria is reminiscent of the 19th-century Luddites who smashed steam engines. Larian simply stated they were doing exactly what everyone else is, only to be met with a storm of irrational outrage […] I am not necessarily a proponent of AI-generated art, but we have to face facts: AI isn’t going anywhere. It might be frightening to some, but it is the reality of our time.
Vávra pointed out that AI tools assist studios in saving significant time and financial resources by automating monotonous tasks, allowing developers to focus on high-level creative priorities.
Do you know what bothers me most about modern game development? The fact that it takes seven years, a team of 300, and tens of millions of dollars […] If AI can help me build an epic game in a year with a smaller team, just like in the good old days, I am all for it. These projects will still need art directors, writers, programmers, and designers, but they won’t be trapped in tedious busywork and can focus on the heart of the project.
Although many agree with Vávra’s logic, a segment of the audience has turned their criticism toward him, accusing him of wanting to downsize development teams. When a commenter suggested that AI would eventually make Vávra himself redundant, the developer responded with a dry, humorous retort:
I have a basement full of gold bars, so I really don’t care.
Source: iXBT.games