While many game developers look for reasons to justify the use of generative AI, a Palworld lead from Pocketpair expressed a simpler statement: He listens to the general opinion of players.
What did the lead say about generative AI? In a conversation with GamesRadar+, John Buckler, Head of Publishing and Communications at Pocketpair, explained regarding generative AI in Palworld:
Players don’t want that. And if players don’t want that, then the matter is probably settled, right? There’s not much to discuss.
Generative AI is not only unpopular with players, the studio simply doesn’t need it
What is another reason for Palworld to refrain from using it? Even if one were to disregard the criticism of generative AI, Pocketpair simply does not need to rely on this technology. They have developers who enjoy doing the work themselves. And letting these go in favor of AI seems “simply pointless” to the boss.
He himself can not only understand the opinion of many players regarding generative AI, but also expresses his own stance on it:
Even I, who work in the industry, simply had the natural feeling of: ‘Ugh, why? The rest of your game looks good. Did you really have to do that…?’ I believe this attitude will last for a while. I think people will look at it and say: ‘Did you really have to do that? Couldn’t you have just done that yourself?’
What does the community say about it? In the subreddit about Palworld, where Buckler’s statement was shared, he is celebrated exactly for this attitude:
“They’ve said that before, and I think it’s great – THAT is the joy of creation: doing it yourself and being proud to present it and watch people’s reactions!,” reads the most upvoted comment from MaraBlaster.
But Just_Ban_Me_Already summarizes it as follows: “This is one of those games where AI would allow PocketPair to create a huge number of ‘Pals’ in a shorter time.” And at significantly lower costs. Instead, they chose to be creative and do everything by hand. Let that sink in. Based Pocketpair is based.”
What do you think of the boss’s stance? Do you think it’s good that Pocketpair refrains from using generative AI? Or do you find the thought utopian? Please let us know in the comments.
Besides AI, Palworld can shake off another potential threat: Nintendo’s patent lawsuit against “Palworld” does not seem to pose a serious threat to Pocketpair anymore
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