Black Myth sequel won’t use Gen-AI during its development

The use of generative AI during game development has become an increasingly contentious topic, with various studios, publishers and developers offering their own takes on the technology and how / whether it fits into the overall game-dev process. Seemingly taking a stance against gen-AI, the Art Director for Black Myth Wukong has claimed that they will “steer clear” of the technology for the upcoming sequel.

Taking to the social media site Weibo, Game Science co-founder and Black Myth Art Director ‘Yang Qi” was asked about the role of gen-AI for the development of Black Myth: Wukong sequel ‘Zhong Kui’, with one user stating (as translated by one ResetEra user): “Given the current level of AI, how much could the development of *Black Myth: Zhong Kui* be accelerated.”

In a rather refreshing response, Qi claimed that “We'll steer clear of AIGC [AI generated content] during the design and asset phases—not out of resistance, but simply to stand our ground until the very end?”

Offering additional context, Qi made reference to Christopher Nolan’s recently-released (and highly popular) film The Odyssey, stating: “At a time when digital filmmaking and 3D post-production seem to have reached a dead end, look at Nolan—he's thriving, using even older techniques to shake things up… There's no ‘last train' we absolutely have to catch; we can just stay at a small inn for a while. Besides, there's plenty of time for AI and all that—no rush.”

While the final part of this statement does seem to suggest that Game Science aren’t entirely against the use of gen-AI, it is encouraging at the very least to see the likes of Nolan influencing other creators to shy away from the controversial technology; proving that gen-AI is not needed to make a successful product. After all, Black Myth Wukong itself went on to sell over 30 million copies, and so it’s best not to mess with what is a winning formula.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this statement? Are you more or less interested in Black Myth: Zhong Kui now? What’s your personal take on gen-AI in game development? Let us know down below.

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