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Daniel Vávra, co-founder of Warhorse and creative director of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding generative AI in the gaming industry, asserting that the technology has become an unstoppable reality.
Vavra’s remarks came in response to recent criticism of Larian after it announced a new Divinity project at The Game Awards, where studio CEO Sven Fincke explained to Bloomberg that Larian only uses generative AI in early stages such as exploring initial ideas, preparing PowerPoint presentations, creating temporary concept sketches, and writing replaceable scripts.
Fincke emphasized that any AI-generated content does not appear in the final version of the game, stressing that all final elements are done by human hands and that the development team is open to using these tools as an aid rather than a replacement.
Despite these clarifications, the wave of criticism continued on social media, as some users considered that resorting to AI even at the initial conceptualization stage is a replacement for human creativity, which prompted Vincke to reiterate that Larian does not dispense with conceptual graphics artists, but rather uses AI in the same way that search engines or art books are used as temporary visual references.
Daniel Vávra defended Larian on X, noting that most studios are using generative AI for similar purposes, but only a few are openly stating it, and that Larian is being attacked only because it has been open about common industry practices.
Vavra likened the current panic around AI to the reactions that accompanied the advent of the steam engine in the 19th century, explaining that resisting technological progress has historically not worked. He added that he personally faced accusations of using AI in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, explaining that what he actually used was Topaz Labs’ tools to optimize some low-resolution elements from the first part only.
Vavra emphasized that he does not favor AI-generated art, but he believes that it is necessary to deal with reality, noting that what worries him most is the use of AI in music, where it is difficult to distinguish between human and machine-generated works.
He explained that the development of modern games has become a cumbersome process, as it may take about 7 years to produce one game with the participation of hundreds of people and huge budgets, in addition to recording hundreds of hours of non-essential dialog, and he believes that AI can reduce this period and enable smaller teams to implement ambitious projects while art directors, writers and designers focus on the basic creative aspects.
Vavra concluded by asserting that the expansion of generative AI in the gaming industry is inevitable, predicting the disappearance of some of the traditional roles of programmers in favor of systems engineers working alongside AI. In his opinion, this revolution could lead to lower development costs, an increase in the number of games, the return of niche genres, and the decline of the dominance of large publishers, similar to what happened with the indie game boom thanks to Steam.
He concluded by saying that AI is inevitably coming, and resisting this transformation will not stop it, but will only delay the utilization of its potential.
