Former Final Fantasy director: If you’ve never used AI, you’re not suited for game development

Former Square Enix director Hajime Tabata recently spoke about the importance of game creators being familiar with generative AI and the latest technology trends. Tabata previously directed various Final Fantasy titles including Crisis Core, Final Fantasy Type 0 and Final Fantasy XV. 

As reported by 4Gamer, Tabata appeared on a special seminar conducted by the education provider Human Academy on “The Future of Games” (Gemu no Mirai). During the online broadcast, Tabata talked with former Square Enix president Yoichi Wada, who is now Human Academy’s Game College Advisor. They discussed five outlooks that they thought were unsuitable for game creators. One of these was “I have never used generative AI.” Tabata stated that this is an unsuitable standpoint for would-be game developers. He goes on to explain that generative AI was one of the biggest influences on the gaming industry in 2023, adding that “Looking back, it had a singular impact on society.” Tabata emphasizes that, in order to be a creator, you need to be open to new technology and ideas – such as AI, VR, Web3 and the metaverse.  

Tabata adds that, regardless of their own opinions on generative AI, game creators should consider it through the lens of how it is perceived by society and how it could change the world. He also stresses that it is vital to pay attention to what the public is focusing on and how the industry evolves in response. “While it is important whether or not you like the game yourself, game creation is a service industry, so you can only make money if you provide people with a satisfying product,” Tabata opines. 

Basically, game creators need to be curious about new things: “For example, with generative AI, you should try to use it before other people, and try paid services even if there is a free version available.” Tabata went on to say. “You should be interested in digging around for each new thing that comes out.” 

Generative AI and its usage have become a controversial topic in creative industries. Amidst worries about AI taking human jobs and copyright concerns regarding AI art, AI can also provide useful tools to help people in creative industries. This can be seen in how AI can be used to generate facial expressions for in-game characters in massive open world games. In such labor-intensive large-scale projects, AI can be a useful tool for helping developers to complete their games.  

In his New Year’s statement, Square Enix’s current CEO Takashi Kiryu said, “I believe that generative AI has the potential not only to reshape what we create, but also to fundamentally change the processes by which we create, including programming,” adding that the company intends to “be aggressive in applying AI and other technologies.”  

Many other companies are also pursuing AI usage, but not without controversy. Xbox has partnered with Inworld AI to create an “AI design co-pilot system” to help developers create games, as reported in The Verge last November. However, at the same time, Xbox was also subject to social media backlash for using art that some people thought looked AI generated to promote indie games (Source: GameRant). 

As Tabata said during the seminar, it is important to pay attention to the public’s reaction to new technology, and it could be that people are more receptive to certain kinds of AI use than others.