Star Fox designer and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask art director, Takaya Imamura, has caught flak for using AI in a test prototype.
In a post on Twitter, Imamura shared (via machine translation) that he’s testing game development using AI, saying that brainstorming with the AI is akin to the old days where he would create titles with programmers, while seemingly being impressed with the tech.
When a response rightfully pointed out the ethical concerns behind using generative AI in game development, due to the models being built on theft and being “very damaging for artists,” Imamura responded, saying: “I completely understand your point. However, given my profession, AI is something I simply can’t ignore, so I’m experimenting with it as a test.”
He notes that he is not a programmer, but is “genuinely amazed by how AI can fill in that gap and actually help me turn my ideas into a working game.”
As we saw over the summer with games like Crazy Taxi: World Tour and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, players are generally rejecting generative AI in games, with other titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Crimson Desert very quickly patching out AI assets found by players.
While its use in development is certainly becoming more widespread, many developers do not want to use it. Pocketpair lead John Buckley explained to GamesRadar+ earlier this year “gamers don’t want it.” Meanwhile Mewgenics co-developer Tyler Glaiel spoke out about artists using it for small parts of games like poster art seen in Expedition 33, saying “That’s where you want to be the most creative.”
It’s especially disappointing from an artist as prolific as Imamura, whose work at Nintendo included creating the designs of iconic characters like Tingle, Fox McCloud, and Captain Falcon. Those using gen AI for artwork are never going to create anything as impactful as the design of Majora’s Mask, so you would hope the artist would see the other side of things.