Recently, a scandal erupted online surrounding the game Rideshare “Stimulator”, published by Saber Interactive. The studio was accused of replacing a screenwriter with AI, and the head made a number of harsh statements.
This story was recently brought up again, as Saber Interactive Creative Director Tim Willits spoke at Gamescom and once again raised the topic of artificial intelligence.
He explained that in the taxi driver simulator Rideshare “Stimulator”, the main campaign and side missions are created by humans, and AI will be used for the optional Free Ride mode:
We are going to use AI for passengers to create new stories. This is only possible with AI – it’s an experiment. We at Saber want to understand how we can apply this technology, so we are doing it on a small scale to learn. We are just like everyone else, just trying to figure it out. Our major projects do not use generative AI. Not in Hellraiser, not in Turok, not in Stuntman.
Источник изображения: UNIGINE, Saber Interactive
Willits emphasized that Saber Interactive wants to experiment with AI technologies:
We want to experiment, and I truly believe that there will be a studio that makes a game that uses AI in such an amazing way that everyone will say: “This is it, this is exactly what we need.”
He then jokingly added that “someone needs to invent the ‘Half-Life 2 of AI’ – something so impressive that [it will launch a wave of imitators].”
According to Willits, even id Software would have used AI technologies if they had existed in the 90s:
Remember what id Software did. In 1999, when Quake III came out, it required a video card, and the studio was heavily criticized for it. People said, “You’re going to ruin the industry. No one will spend $100 on a video card, that’s the stupidest thing anyone has ever come up with.” I know for sure: if [such technologies were available] back then, John Carmack would be doing something like Skynet.
You can add Rideshare “Stimulator” to your Steam wishlist by following this link. The developers have not yet specified a concrete release date or window on the page. The game will be available not only on PC but also on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.
Read more on the topic: