AI Infiltrates Video Games, and Gamers Aren't Having It

Artificial intelligence may be seeping into every corner of tech, but gamers are proving to be a surprisingly stubborn roadblock. As studios experiment with generative AI for art, characters, and dialogue, some are scrambling to reverse course after fierce backlash from players who say the tech cheapens games and threatens human jobs, per the Washington Post. Game publisher Running With Scissors killed a planned Postal spinoff after fans flagged what they believed were AI-made graphics in the trailer. Indie hit Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 briefly held an industry "Game of the Year" title before that award was revoked, after developer Sandfall Interactive acknowledged it had tested AI-generated images during development.

The revolt taps into a broader unease about AI but is supercharged by gaming's online culture. Players organize on Reddit, Discord, and Twitch, launching rapid campaigns against anything that feels like "AI slop" or a cost-cutting shortcut. Even developers who merely talk about using AI are getting dragged: Baldur's Gate studio Larian faced a firestorm after its CEO said it was using generative tools to "explore ideas." He later clarified that artists only used AI to whip up reference images—then executives went further, promising that their upcoming game Divinity wouldn't rely on AI imagery at all.

In an article last year, Forbes noted other issues with AI in video games, including privacy concerns and a spike in energy use. The pushback is already reshaping projects and, in some cases, livelihoods. Goonswarm Games, developer of the canceled Postal title, says it shut down after six years of work collapsed under a wave of AI accusations, threats, and harassment, even as it later conceded that some AI image concerns were valid, per the Post. Experts say gamers' activism—previously credited with changing a Mass Effect 3 ending and forcing a redesign of Sonic the Hedgehog's movie look—gives them more clout than many consumer groups.

But industry veterans warn that clout has limits. Major studios are already using AI behind the scenes, they say, and are unlikely to give it up. In fact, developers have actually been using artificial intelligence since at least the '80s—the New York Times points to the four ghosts of Pac-Man, who "each [respond] differently to the player's real-time movements." For now, studios walk a tightrope between cost-saving tools and a skeptical, vocal audience that feels it's paying premium prices and wants human-made worlds.