Bruce Straley continues to place his confidence in the established principles of traditional game design.
Bruce Straley, the acclaimed director of The Last of Us and a former creative pillar at Naughty Dog, has voiced his opposition to the integration of generative AI within the gaming industry. In an interview conducted just before The Game Awards 2025—where his new studio, Wildflower Interactive, unveiled the debut trailer for Coven of the Chicken Foot—Straley characterized generative AI as a “snake eating its own tail.”
It is incapable of autonomous growth or independent thought; it merely consumes and attempts to replicate its input. That is the ceiling of its current potential.
The catalyst for this discussion was the technology powering Coven of the Chicken Foot—an adventure title starring an elderly witch and a peculiar creature that serves as her assistant. This entity observes the player’s actions, mimics their behavior, and adapts accordingly. However, these mechanics do not utilize generative AI; instead, they are built upon foundational game design techniques, drawing from Straley’s extensive experience at Naughty Dog.
Source: iXBT.games