Daniel Vávra remains unfazed by the prospect of one day being replaced by artificial intelligence.
The mastermind behind the Kingdom Come series and Warhorse Studios co-founder, Daniel Vávra, recently weighed in on the controversy surrounding Larian Studios’ use of AI for concept art. Despite Swen Vincke’s efforts to explain that Larian continues to expand its art team and uses AI primarily as a reference tool—similar to a search engine or an artbook—the studio faced significant backlash. Critics have been vocal in their disapproval, with some even calling for a boycott of the developer’s future projects.
Standing in solidarity with his colleagues, Vávra suggested that it is time for the public to accept the inevitable: game studios will only increase their reliance on AI technology moving forward.
This hysteria over AI mirrors the 19th-century backlash when people were smashing steam engines. Larian simply stated they were doing exactly what everyone else in the industry is doing, and they were met with a storm of irrational anger […] I’m not necessarily a fan of AI art, but we have to face the truth: AI isn’t going anywhere. It may be daunting for some, but it is what it is.
Vávra pointed out that AI tools serve to save studios both time and capital, stripping away the drudgery of repetitive tasks so creators can devote their energy to the more vital aspects of game design.
You know what I find most exhausting about game development? The fact that it requires 7 years, 300 people, and tens of millions of dollars […] If AI can help me build an epic game in a single year with a smaller team, just like the good old days, I’m all for it. A project like that would still need an art director, writers, coders, and designers, but they’d be freed from tedious work to focus on what actually matters.
While many agreed with Vávra’s pragmatic view, others began criticizing him for his apparent desire to develop games with fewer staff. When one commenter suggested that AI would eventually make Vávra himself obsolete, the developer offered a witty retort:
I have a basement full of gold bars, so it doesn’t bother me.
Source: iXBT.games