Over the weekend, crimson desert Manufacturer Pearl Abyss has apologized for shipping an open-world blockbuster that incorporates AI-generated art and not disclosing that fact to players. Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra told the studio over the weekend that there was nothing to be disappointed about.
“Why do you apologize?” he wrote to crimson desert “AI is going to be in every video game in one form or another. I don’t understand why developers feel the need to bend over backwards because of the few who can’t accept the reality that AI is going to be in everything from video games to refrigerators. Get your act together.”
That sentiment was delivered with all the bravado and self-consciousness. eastbound and downbound‘s Kenny Powers took off like a lead balloon. Ybarra was a nearly 20-year veteran of Microsoft and Xbox when he joined Blizzard in 2019, and was promoted to co-president in 2021 during the studio’s workplace review. However, despite his love of posting online, Microsoft dumped him after it was acquired by Activision Blizzard in 2023. He currently runs a sports betting startup called Prize Picks.
Why apologize? AI will be incorporated into every video game in some way.
I don’t understand why developers feel the need to bend over backwards for the sake of a small group of people who can’t accept the reality that AI will be introduced into everything from video games to refrigerators (it’s already happening).
Wake up man.
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) March 22, 2026
One fan replied, “I’m so glad you’re not messing with Blizzard anymore,” to which Ybarra replied, “I hope you enjoy being co-pilot in WoW.”
So far, few mainstream game companies have taken up Ybarra’s “man-up” defense of game AI. While developers and players speculate that behind-the-scenes AI usage disasters continue to occur and that slop continues to “accidentally” make it into the finished game, no major studio has yet had the stones to tell gamers anything like, “Get used to it.”
The closest we’ve come so far is a jab at Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s live event last week, where he accused the internet of being “completely wrong” about DLSS 5 overlaying generative AI on game visuals. It seems like it didn’t work.
