Larian Studios, renowned for their immersive role-playing games like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity, has sparked intense debate within the gaming community regarding their use of generative AI. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, founder and game director Swen Vincke revealed that Larian is utilizing AI behind the scenes to explore ideas, develop concept art, and write placeholder text. However, this revelation has triggered a swift backlash from gamers worldwide.
To quell concerns, Vincke issued a response clarifying their stance on AI integration in their games. He emphasized that Larian is not releasing any games with AI components nor planning to replace human teams with AI assistants. Instead, the studio sees AI as a tool to enhance their workflow and make everyone's working day better, not worse.
The original news broke when Vincke discussed Larian's approach to generative AI in a Bloomberg interview. The studio is using AI to explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art, and write placeholder text. While this technology hasn't led to significant gains in efficiency, it has allowed the team to "explore ideas, flesh out PowerPoint presentations, develop concept art and write placeholder text."
Vincke reassured fans that there won't be any AI-generated content in the final version of Divinity, stating, "Everything is human actors; we're writing everything ourselves." However, not everyone is convinced. The gaming community has been divided on this issue, with some defending Larian's use of AI for concepting and others expressing concerns.
In response to the backlash, Vincke issued a lengthy follow-up statement to IGN, highlighting that Larian has been continuously increasing their pool of concept artists, writers, and story-tellers. The studio has also job openings for more concept artists, who are creating original art day in day out for ideation and production use.
Vincke emphasized that AI is not a replacement for human skill or craft but rather an incremental tool to make everyone's working day better. He reiterated that Larian is neither releasing a game with AI components nor planning to replace teams with AI assistants.
In a Twitter post, Vincke further clarified the studio's stance on AI, stating that they are hiring more artists and that the art created by their team of 72 artists, including 23 concept artists, is original. He also highlighted that Larian uses AI tools to explore references, similar to how they use Google and art books.
As the gaming community continues to debate the role of AI in game development, one thing is clear: Larian Studios remains committed to creating immersive experiences with human creativity at their core.