Nier Director Yoko Taro Says “AI Will Make All Game Creators Unemployed”

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Video game designer Yoko Taro offers his perspective on the future role of artificial intelligence (AI) in game creation, suggesting that within half a century, AI may outshine human game developers entirely. His forecast envisions AI being employed to construct personalized narratives tailored for each individual gamer.

In a Famitsu roundtable discussion about the upcoming game The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, Yoko Taro – famed for his contributions to the Nier series – joined forces with Jiro Ishii and two other developers from The Hundred Line team.

It was generally consensus among the developers that Artificial Intelligence (AI) would soon become commonplace in game creation, leading them to ponder about what this shift might mean for the industry. In Yoko Taro’s view, AI advancements could potentially render human game creators jobless and make their work obsolete, similar to how bards have been replaced by other forms of entertainment over time.

When inquired about AI’s ability to craft extraordinary tales akin to those created by human authors, the consensus among the panel was that it is indeed achievable in the foreseeable future. As Yoko put it, “We may soon transition from an epoch where we must mimic our preferred storytellers’ styles, to a time when we can effortlessly generate desired plotlines.” This technology would analyze user preferences and craft intricate narrative branches tailored to their tastes, with the ability to further refine its recommendations over time.

Kazutaka Kodaka, the creative mind behind Hundred Lines, remarked that the implementation of AI-guided design might diminish the chance for multiple players to have identical gaming experiences. Consequently, this could decrease the likelihood of such games achieving global popularity.

With artificial intelligence (AI) playing an increasingly significant role in both the creative and technical aspects of video game development, industry leaders and executives have expressed their views on this technology. Many game industry CEOs have voiced optimistic sentiments about AI, some of whom hail from companies that have let go of employees recently. Daniel Vavra, director of Kingdom Come 2, expresses a desire for AI to expedite game production for him and his team, while Swen Vincke of Larian Studios welcomes AI as a means to automate monotonous tasks that people generally dislike.

Discussing the contentious topic of employing AI for tasks like artistry and voice acting, it’s worth noting that the SAG-AFTRA voice actor strike has been ongoing for nearly nine months without a resolution, with AI safeguards being among the main points under debate.

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2025-04-29 15:09