Square Enix Used AI Tools In Upcoming Shooter Foamstars
Square Enix has confirmed it used AI tools in its upcoming Splatoon-like shooter, Foamstars.
In a new interview, VGC asked Foamstars producer Kosuke Okatani if the game used AI for any parts of it. Okatani confirmed that the game used the generative AI tool, Midjourney, to generate in-game album art cover icons for its music tracks. However, Okatani clarified that the large majority of Foamstars was developed normally and that AI-generated assets only made up of 0.01% of the total content.
“All of the core elements in Foamstars--the core gameplay, and the things that make the game enjoyable--those are all made by hand,” he Okatani explained. “However, we did want to experiment with AI as well."
In a later statement to VGC, Square Enix added, "In this instance, we experimented with Midjourney using simple prompts to produce abstract images. We loved what was created and used them as the final album covers players will see in the game. Everything else was created entirely by our development team."
The use of AI has been a big topic within the games industry. Earlier this month, Square Enix sent out a letter for the new year stating that it would be "getting aggressive with AI use." Additionally, Valve updated Steam's policies on AI use, saying that studios will now need to disclose whether they used AI during the development process.
Foamstars is set to launch on February 6 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and will be available on all PlayStation Plus subscription tiers until March 5, after which the game will cost $30.
