Microsoft recently showcased a demo version of Quake 2 built entirely using generative AI that has garnered quite a negative reception online. The AI-made Quake 2 demo is playable on a web browser via Microsoft’s website, built using its new generative AI model, Muse. The tech is said to be able to generate “game visuals, controller actions, or both.”
After the generative AI demo of Quake 2 went live on Microsoft’s website, it quickly gained momentum online with negative reactions. Muse insists that the demo does “not intend to fully replicate the actual experience of playing the original Quake 2.” Given the frequent use of generative AI in the gaming industry lately, players have grown concerned of its impact in games and how it threatens to derail or replace vital jobs, while others believe this is a harmless display of technical research and not a scheme to develop full-fledged games using AI.
“What does this do for me? I understand it’s technically impressive but like, why should I care? What implications does this have for the future, I don’t understand the goal being worked towards,” asked one comment under Geoff Keighley’s post on the topic.
“This is the wrong way of doing things, it will lead nowhere. Using AI to make games is one thing, generating every frame on the fly is another, AI is unpredictable, frames should be predictable, not sure why people are wasting their brain power focusing on this, it’s dumb imo,” reads another, more critical comment. However, not every comment was critical, prompting swift backlash.
“Microsoft will literally do anything but develop real video games,” said YouTuber The Act Man in response. Another comment reads, “I don’t know what this shit is but it ain’t Quake.”
Discussions about the use of generative AI in the gaming industry has been a hot topic for the last year. Activision, due to recent Steam regulations, had to update its Call of Duty pages on the platform to disclose its use of generative AI for some in-game assets.
Source: Microsoft (via Geoff Keighley)
