There has been a lot of debate about how welcome or rejected AI in video game development. There are many opinions. Many gamers and developers are dying against AI for creating finished assets, but some think it can be embraced for ideas, prototyping and improving workflows. Other developers may use AI for everything if they think it is acceptable, but they step on carefully for fear of how it will be received.
Tim Morten, CEO of Frost Giant Studios and former Director of Starcraft Production, is one of the developers who have not apologised for their profits in AI, and appears to suggest that backlash from gamers themselves may be underscored.
As reported by the game developer, the CEO of the developer of free-to-play RTS Stormate spoke openly about the generation AI at Gamescom 2025.
He reports that it is “100% of the direction the industry is heading.” And he believes it will be beneficial for the industry, helping to streamline workflows and grow budgets without necessarily meaning that work will be cut.
“John Carmack observed how he was doing the work that he had to be laborious with his hands when he started in the gaming industry. “That didn't mean that his job had left. It meant he could focus on solving other problems.
“Now, in some players' minds, AI means taking away jobs. I'm not a publisher. I'm not a business person. I'm a game developer. What I want to do is to eliminate my work, is to eliminate these epic visions.
Morten recommended that developers train AI models before using them with their own assets to provide more consistency and respect intellectual property.
As for Frost Giant's use of generated AI for Stormate, the developers used third-party tools to animate character portraits. Morten said after testing the game with or without AI portraits, the developers felt that the dialogs would animate the face when they were added to the game.
And the player's reaction? Morten said most of them were “great” in it, but some were aware that they expressed their voice disapproval. Gamers who oppose AI use may suggest that, while a relatively small percentage of their overall audience, they are the loudest voices of emotions on social media.
The debate about generation AI in game design will not disappear anytime soon. For some, it's an emotional problem, or a matter of principle, but others see it practically. Ultimately, it's up to the player to decide whether they're happy with the results that are sufficient to play the game.
For more information about this week's video game development news, see Unreal Engine 5 games with 18,000 characters rendered in real time.
