Super Smash Bros. creator thinks AI will make a lot of games, most won't make money
In a recent interview with Japanese website Denfaminicogamer, Sakurai shared his well-informed opinions on how generative AI is going to impact the video game business. Developing new game "products" is becoming easier than ever, he said, but turning AI-generated slop into a profitable venture will take a lot more than... Read Entire Article
Masahiro Sakurai, the creator behind beloved game franchises like Super Smash Bros. and Kirby, has spoken out about the impact of generative AI on the video game industry. In an interview with Denfaminicogamer, Sakurai expressed skepticism that AI-based stochastic parrots could produce truly original game intellectual properties (IP).
While Sakurai acknowledged that AI will make developing new games easier, he cautioned that turning AI-generated content into a profitable venture will require more than just a few chatbot prompts.
Sakurai pointed out that modern game designs often draw inspiration from what is already available in the market, helping developers and publishers showcase the value to customers. However, he warned that generative AI will likely lead to an explosion of lookalike games, with most of these creations ending up unprofitable due to their poor quality.
The renowned designer expressed concern over the absence of genuinely creative projects in the wave of AI-generated gaming content, suggesting that even human developers face challenges in creating original games.
According to a recent survey by the Japanese Computer Entertainment Software Association (CESA), over 85% of Japanese developers now utilize LLM-based solutions in their workflows. This trend is also reflected in Epic Games' stance, which suggests that AI will play a role in nearly all future game production. However, PC users who have paid for games on Steam have expressed dissatisfaction with the proliferation of AI-generated slop at the company's Next Fest event.
The 2023 Next Fest suffered from the deluge of AI-generated games, leading to a demand for an official "no-AI" filter to improve the discovery of interesting demos.
Sakurai emphasized that Steam's statistics demonstrate how current development trends are inflating the market, with the platform hosting more than 19,000 new releases per year, compared to around 275 in 2010. He concluded that generative AI will only exacerbate this issue by further increasing the number of new projects.
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