The CEO of Nexon Co., Ltd., the writer of Embark Studios’ mega-popular extraction shooter Arc Raiders, has added his opinions to the refrain across the recreation’s use of AI voice performing, claiming that “each recreation firm” is utilizing AI in improvement.
After Eurogamer gave it two out of five stars, which prompted this discourse, CEO Junghun Lee stated in an interview with Gamespark (translated by Automaton) that AI has “undoubtedly improved effectivity” in recreation manufacturing and live-service operations.
“Initially, I feel it is vital to imagine that each recreation firm is now utilizing AI,” Lee stated. “But when everyone seems to be working with the identical or related applied sciences, the true query turns into: How do you survive? I consider it is vital to decide on a technique that will increase your competitiveness.”
To reply his personal query of surviving in a aggressive improvement market, Lee expressed that “human creativity” is what’ll push an OK recreation to a wonderful recreation. This sentiment mirrors what Embark Studios CCO Stefan Strandberg told Eurogamer in October 2025, that there are “no shortcuts to creating nice video games” regardless of utilizing AI to “help in some content material creation.”
Not everybody agrees with both Lee or Strandberg, although. Unusual Scaffold founder Xavier Nelson Jr. responded with condemnation on Bluesky, personally confirming that “quite a lot of different studios”–whether indie or AAA–are not utilizing generative AI of their video games. Tommy Thompson, founding father of AI online game evaluation firm AI in Games, additionally disputed Lee’s argument, posting on Bluesky that “only a few [studios] have gone all in” on AI. Developer Neil Jones, creator of the 3D runner Aerial_Knight’s By no means Yield, posted on Bluesky that that is an admission that “they will fireplace you.” And former Chucklefish animator Adam Riches shared his contempt for Lee’s feedback, taking to Bluesky to say that Nexon is “too low cost to care about their craft.”
Whereas persons are upset with Lee’s notion that “each recreation firm is now utilizing AI,” one CEO got here to his protection: Epic Games’ Tim Sweeney. Posting in the replies to Eurogamer’s review on X, Sweeney stated that “political beliefs” ought to keep within the opinion part, not evaluations. He continued in response to X user doubttom, who requested if disliking AI must be thought-about political:
“Sure. This know-how will increase human productiveness in some areas by integer multiples, and views on whether or not it is a web good and must be rewarded, or unhealthy and must be fought in opposition to, are speculative and usually distributed alongside political strains,” Sweeney stated. “For the reason that writer states the pessimistic case, I’ll put the optimistic one right here. Sport builders compete to construct one of the best video games with a purpose to entice players. When tech will increase productiveness, competitors results in constructing higher video games quite than using fewer individuals.”
It is price noting that there are some AAA studios banking on AI. EA stated its staff ought to view the controversial know-how as “thought companions” whereas demanding its staff prepare AI on their work. Krafton Inc. has introduced plans to speculate $70 million to turn into an “AI-first firm.” Sq. Enix desires generative AI to automate at the very least 70% of recreation QA and debugging work. And even Sony has laid out plans for incorporating AI in its video games going ahead. This isn’t to say the myriad builders who’ve just lately stated that AI must be embraced by the trade, or those that refuse to work with it would promote themselves brief.
Though a hot-button matter, this is not the primary time Embark Studios has used AI in its video games. The developer’s final recreation, the 2023 free-to-play multiplayer shooter The Finals, additionally featured text-to-speech (TTS) that was generated utilizing AI as a result of the team could produce voice lines in hours rather than months. Embark Studios defended its selection again then, stating that “making video games with out actors is not an finish aim” and a mixture of recorded voice audio and audio generated by way of TTS instruments merely expedited the method.
Whatever the discourse surrounding the sport, Arc Raiders has been a smash hit since its October 30 launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X|S. It just lately smoked the multiplayer shooter Helldivers 2, turning into one of many most-played video games on Steam.