I know that that headline reads like the most obvious statement ever, but I feel like we’re not all on the same page with this fact. There has been a lot of noise recently around Crystal Dynamics admitting it used generative AI in the development of the new Tomb Raider game. I suppose they lost all previous design docs and it was difficult to re-crack the magic recipe that is “make the pretty lady go pew pew and collect a shiny object.” I dunno. I’m not smart.

Crystal Dynamics has defended the use of AI, saying it’s for efficiency and to “help our team get the right answers faster,” whatever that means. The director of the game gave the example of generating an “object” in the game and seeing if it was workable before fully implementing - a defense that literally fell apart after one follow-up question. Was it strange that a PR representative jumped on that question like it was a grenade? Who’s to say!

It’s Inevitable Might Be True, But It Certainly Isn’t Popular

At the same time, there’s a visceral feeling of annoyance radiating off some developers who have embraced AI. They all seem to use the same language to describe it: “It’s inevitable.” Which might be true! Although I’m not sure if you’re winning hearts and minds using the language of Thanos and frat guys who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I do respect that to a lot of companies and producers and developers, the theoretical future rewards outweigh the current risks.

If they just push on through, eventually fans will have no choice but to accept it and then we’ll all be over this little unpleasant part of the story. This might also be true! Innovation usually wins out, even if this might be the first time I’ve seen older people aggressively love and push a new tech more than younger people. Yes, students are using AI to cheat on tests. But I’ve only seen people older than my ancient ass at restaurants using ChatGPT like it’s the referee in a loud public argument.

Here’s the thing: creators, developers, and whoever else have every right to use generative AI. It’s legal. You could theoretically use AI to make the art of a game, design the scenarios, compose the music, write the dialogue, voice the lines, and QA the thing for you. Would it turn out perfect? No. Absolutely not. Would it be a thing that could be considered a game? Yeah, probably. You could do that right now and you could sell it right now and, buddy, I bet someone would want to buy it.

Far be it from me to criticize: I was paying money for ridiculous slop long before it was automated. Shovelware will always have buyers, and you’ll likely get a few people who are into the idea that it’s almost entirely made with AI. And, let me emphasize again, it is legal.

But on the other hand, fans are allowed to hate it. I don’t know if any of you are aware, but video game fans are capable of hating a lot of things far less important than this. There are fans bummed out that Switch Sports Resort isn’t all Miis, so I think it shouldn’t surprise you there are fans that want games that were made by hand rather than by an algorithm that flattens everything out like it’s being designed by a digital committee.

Telling fans “it’s inevitable” and that they just need to take it isn’t going to change their minds. Making fans out to be rude and garish and mean for criticizing AI just feels like companies think of players as being in the way of profits rather than the road to it. “Can’t you morons just shut up and let us give you the legacy IP you keep saying you want?”

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If Devs Love AI So Much, Why Do So Few Of Them Want To Admit It?

While I’m obviously on the side of not loving AI, developers can ignore me. They can ignore everyone. And if they’re worried that AI will potentially hurt the sales of their games by turning off some fans, then that’s a choice that they have to make. Fans who don’t want AI are not betraying them. Storefronts that require AI disclosures are not banning those games from selling. Sorry if it’s awkward. Sorry if it’s a sticking point.

Yes, this is already causing some companies to try to hide the ball and ask forgiveness later. And, yes, this itself will lead some games to be falsely accused, too. I don’t love that, but nor do I love the solution being “all hail the plagiarism machine.” That said, one more time for the back, nobody is arresting you for using generative AI, and acting like players who don’t like it are being selfish is weird.

Seriously, it’s strange to see so many developers acting like their fans are the problem. I mean, that itself isn’t strange. Fans in very large quantities are always a mixed emotional bag. Hell, I’ve complained about fans, so screw me for being a hypocrite. Rather, it’s strange to see developers angry that their fans want to see creators actually creating rather than curating. It’s strange to see companies talking as if fans work for them and need to get on board or get laid off from the fun factory.

Players have a lot of options. There is a very large backlog of increasingly cheaper games from the previous decades that need finishing. Saying “it’s inevitable” that everyone will pay $70 for something that feels even more generic and HOA-friendly than triple-A games already do now is a gamble. I could never buy another video game again, and I’d still have hundreds of thousands of hours of crap to finish. Brother, I own three versions of Dragon Quest 7 and I’ve only beat one. Hell, I own four different versions of the original Dragon Quest, two of which are on the Switch. You wanna get nuts? Let’s get nuts.

Of course, neither fans nor developers are a monolith. A lot of developers have recently come out against using generative AI for development, even if some are taking a more wait and see approach. It’s also worth pointing out that part of the problem with the term “AI” is that it’s now being used to mean everything from generating art assets to helping schedule work meetings, so there’s a whole “you can’t say you don’t like AI if you’ve ever used autocorrect” cynical side of the argument that intentionally muddies the waters.

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No, the procedural generation of levels in Diablo is not the same as generative AI, as much as some people try to retcon how games were made. But at the same time, there are plenty of fans who’d love their favorite franchises to have new games every year if AI sped that process up to lightning speed. And there are people on both sides in the middle who just like games and wish everyone would stop yelling at each other about the automation of logistical processes. Although bless your sweet little heart if you think anything can ever stop video game people from arguing.

Look, I want new games to get made. And I know we’re at a very strange point in this artform where it’s more popular than ever but companies don’t seem to remember how to keep people employed. Maybe I’ll have to just accept that the genie is inevitable. Hell, maybe I’ll be one of those people who gets paid to go to an AI conference and then come out with talking points about why I changed my mind. I’m very willing to sell out, so I’m looking forward to pretending I never held these current opinions to begin with.

But until that point when I never have to see any of you losers again, I’m going to believe that developers do have the right to use AI while fans do have the right to roast them over it. Even if it’s inevitable. Even if it’s coming no matter what. Even if I’m going to be ‘left in the dust’, as if you could leave me any farther back in the rearview mirror of life than I already am.

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Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

Action Adventure Platformer Systems OpenCritic Reviews Released February 12, 2027 ESRB Teen / Blood, Violence Developer(s) Crystal Dynamics, Flying Wild Hog Publisher(s) Amazon Games Franchise Tomb Raider
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