World of Warcraft franchise director John Hight says Blizzard Entertainment is not using generative AI in its massively multiplayer online game (MMO).
During a recent interview with IGN at the Game Developers Conference 2024, Hight explained that the most exciting thing for the games industry right now is AI, specifically machine learning, a tool that has been used by studios for years to make tasks easier for developers, and not generative AI.
In case of World of Warcraftthe team uses machine learning to fit armor to character models, rather than developers doing it manually for each character, which can take more time. Hight said the artists used to have to build armor for different body shapes, including horns, snouts and tails, adding that it was “just not particularly fun work for them.”
“We’ve used machine learning to do things that humans can’t do or are very cumbersome to do,” Hight said.
“…A few years ago we said, ‘Can we use machine learning to at least get it to a point where 90% of the work is done for them and then they can refine it?’ And we did that. It actually turned out really well. It allowed us to make a lot more different armors. The artists love it because it says, ‘Oh, thank goodness you got the grungy part of what we do omitted.’ .'”
The franchise director continues, saying that NPC AI has also been vastly improved and has supported the MMO’s Exile’s Reach starting zone. He adds that the team is now using the tool to work on a new feature called Delves for the upcoming expansion The war withinbut clarifies that Blizzard is not using generative AI in any way.
Hight says he is the son of an aeronautical engineer and a visual artist, so he has an appreciation for the creative process.
“I think the artists on the team are afraid that the AI will be used to take them out of a job and they certainly don’t want their work to be used without their permission or without credit or whatever, and so I think that we are sorting all that out, he said.
“The rights issues, how far are we using this technology, but we’re not using it. We don’t use generative AI inside Wow.”