The latest studio to join discussions around the use of generative AI for game development is Owlcat Games. The company has confirmed that its upcoming sci-fi RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn made use of generative AI for development. In a statement, PR manager Katarina Popp noted that the studio used the technology in early stages, for things like prototyping and placeholder assets. She noted that there will be no AI-generated assets in the final game when it comes out.
“We don’t use it to create any assets that will be in the game,” said Popp in a press briefing, according to Eurogamer. “We use it a lot for prototyping, trying things out, placeholders. They will all be replaced at the end.”
“We use it basically for trying out things on a technical level,” she continued. “For example, looking at how a 2D image looks in 3D, or changing colors to what looks good. So it’s basically for being able to iterate faster. But we don’t use it to write, we don’t use AI voice actors, so everything that will be in the final version will definitely 100 percent be human made.”
It is worth noting that the studio has previously mentioned generative AI in a job listing all the way back in 2024. At the time, the studio was looking for a concept artist, whose tasks would involve “concept generation using AI and other modern tools.” Owlcat Games issued a statement in light of the inevitable backlash that followed.
“We use AI as a working tool for our future project, which is in the early stages of production right now,” said the studio, likely referring to The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, which hadn’t yet been announced at the time. “AI will be used exclusively for additional work with concepts and speeding up some internal processes (for example, for creative search, inspiration, or vision coordination before starting conceptualisation itself).
“The final version of the game will not have any art generated by the neural networks. The same goes for the final concepts. Everything will be original and drawn by professional artists. On our current projects, Rogue Trader and Pathfinder, AI was not used at all.”
On the subject of generative AI used in game development, we’ve heard from a number of companies about their upcoming projects. Among them was Bethesda Game Studios, where studio lead Todd Howard noted the importance of the “element of artistic intention.”
“For us, we’re being incredibly cautious,” said Howard. “[We’re] kind of viewing [it] as a tool, like an analyst, to look at the data in our games. We’re not using it to generate anything. I think there’s an element of artistic intention that is essential to what we do and what others do.”
CEO of Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick, had similarly noted that the studio isn’t using generative AI for any of the creative aspects of Grand Theft Auto 6. Krafton has also noted that Project Windless – a game unveiled in February – is also not using generative AI for development.
