Activision Blizzard has reportedly used generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create in-game cosmetics for its latest Call of Duty game, which will be available for purchase in late 2023. The Call of Duty maker is said to have approved the use of generative AI tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion early last year to help create concept art for its game. By July, the company had gained access to OpenAI’s GPT-3.5 model and approved wider use of the AI ​​to generate concept art, marketing materials and more.
The revelations are part of Wired’s investigation into the growing use of generative artificial intelligence in video game development, which has reportedly led to the loss of several jobs in the industry.
After approving the use of generative AI in game development last year, Activision reportedly told its artists that the AI ​​tools would only be used to create internal concepts for its games, rather than “final game assets.” However, the company will reportedly sell AI-generated cosmetics on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game’s online store by the end of 2023.
While the report doesn’t mention specific details about the use of artificial intelligence in creating cosmetics, it does include a link to in-game items that are still available in the Call of Duty store. The AI-generated cosmetics are reportedly a Wrath of Monsters bundle that includes player skins, gun blueprints, calling cards, stickers, and loading screen images. These items will be released in December 2023 and will be sold in the store for 1,500 COD points – an in-game virtual currency worth approximately $15, which is approximately RMB 1,500. 1,255.
Yokai player skins included in the Yokai Wrath Bundle
Image source: Activision
In addition to pledging to limit the use of generative AI, Activision Blizzard has reportedly told its artists that the adoption of AI will not lead to the loss of actual human jobs. However, after releasing AI-generated Call of Duty skins in stores in December, Microsoft announced it would cut 1,900 jobs at its newly acquired Activision Blizzard and Xbox divisions. According to reports, one of the teams affected by the layoffs is 2D artists.
“A lot of 2D artists were laid off,” the report quoted an anonymous artist at Activision as saying. “The remaining concept artists were forced to use artificial intelligence to help with their work,” they added. Activision Blizzard employees are also reportedly being asked to sign up for artificial intelligence training.
In January, Microsoft said it would lay off 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox, accounting for about 8% of Microsoft’s gaming division. Most of the layoffs reportedly occurred at Activision Blizzard, which Microsoft acquired last year after a lengthy court battle with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Sony’s PlayStation division, Electronic Arts, Grand Theft Auto Take-Two and several other studios are also cutting jobs.
Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot in late 2022, artificial intelligence has entered the public consciousness and is widely adopted across the technology landscape. The technology has also found itself at odds with creatives and artists, with AI companies drawing criticism and lawsuits for using online articles, music, art, movies and more without permission to allegedly train their models.
The video game industry is also finding it difficult to resist the use of artificial intelligence in game development, with several major studios expressing interest in the technology. In early April this year, it was reported that Microsoft was testing a dedicated artificial intelligence chatbot for its Xbox platform. Last November, the parent company of Xbox announced a partnership with Inworld AI to create game development tools for Xbox, allowing developers to create characters and generate complete scripts and missions for games.
Last month, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot touted the potential use cases of generative AI in video game development during an interview on the company’s website. “I’ve also been very outspoken about the potential I see for generative AI and how it can make NPCs smarter and more interactive,” Guillemot said. “This could extend to animals in the world, and even the world itself.”
