Halo Studios recently unveiled its next major project – Halo: Campaign Evolved. In an interview with Rolling Stone, executive producer Damon Conn and game director Greg Hermann did confirm that the studio made use of AI tools in development. However, they noted that these were simply tools used for development, rather than used for the sake of outright replacing artistic aspects of the game like art and design.
In the interview, Conn and Hermann compared the way Halo Studios used AI for Halo: Campaign Evolved to various tools offered in software like Photoshop. Making use of these tools, they noted, helped the artists that worked on the upcoming title to improve their workflows.
“I want to be very clear … People are creative,” said Conn. “People make games. AI can improve workflows. It can do things for the game. But I want to be very specific and clear that the people are the ones who are creating the game, and there’s an opportunity to improve a workflow, or something along those lines, we’ll look at it again. It really should be additive to the creation of a game.”
Responding to a question about players will see anything in Halo: Campaign Evolved that was made using generative AI, Hermann simply referred to it as “a tool in a toolbox.” He pointed to examples like the generative fill tool offered by Photoshop, which can further make it difficult to distinguish between AI-generated images and things that were made while simply using tools available to artists.
“I may go a little off message here, but some of that gets very challenging when we look at how integrated AI is becoming within our tooling,” explained Hermann. “We use Photoshop. There’s generative fill, for example. The boundary lines can get a little fuzzy. I will say, though, again, to Damon’s point, it really is about that creative spark that comes from people and improving just overall workflows.”
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer had also recently spoken about the use of AI tools at Microsoft and the various game development studios under its Xbox Game Studios banner. Just last week, he had noted that these tools were simply used for operational functions, rather than as a way to replace the creative output of artists. Developers, he noted, can decide whether or not they want to use AI tools for themselves.
“On the creative side, I really leave it up to the teams,” he said. “I have found that creative teams will use tools that make their job easier when it makes their job easier, and any top-down mandate that ‘Thou must use a certain tool’…is not really a path to success. I look at the teams, and we make tools available, and I kind of let it organically percolate.”
Halo: Campaign Evolved is coming to PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The title will not feature competitive multiplayer; rather, it will focus on the main campaign of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, along with co-op gameplay like the original. Halo: Campaign Evolved will also be the first time that the franchise makes its way to PlayStation, with community director Brian Jarrard noting that this is simply the start.
