Indie video game company Rayark Inc has come under fire from fans for allegedly replacing human video game artists with AI. The Taipei, Taiwan-based company which was founded in 2011 ran into trouble when fans spotted a character with six fingers—a popular flaw with AI-generated images.
Rayark is famous for creating rhythm games like Cytus and Deemo. The studio has always been praised for its musical collaborations and stunning artworks that complement each of its songs. Therefore, it is not surprising that fans were outraged when they noticed what seemed like a deviation from the norm.
Earlier in April we reported that video game illustrators were losing their jobs to AI in China. At that time we predicted that smaller studios would likely be the ones to give it a try first. However, we wouldn’t have been able to guess that it would happen sooner than later.
For days now, Twitter has been going crazy with people who claimed to be former employees lashing out at the company. A tweet from @Cbotme identified as a former staff of Rayark lashed out and was grateful for leaving the company.
“As a former art director of Cytus2, I feel a little bit disgusting, seeing all the efforts and quality control we did turning into some shoddy ai trash. To be honest I’m so glad I left the company.”
@Cbotme
The errors in the newer game art were first noticed by Korean players and they pointed them out on social media. In one of the instances, a character’s hair and clothing were clipped and ended up in awkward places. Both are clear signs of AI-generated images.
Rayark said the rumors were entirely false
Rayark used strong words to describe the rumors. The company said, “The rumors that Rayark is using AI technology in its artistic works and laying off its artists” is entirely false. The caption was followed by an image with a lengthy word of text.
“Creativity and expression through art have always been of the utmost importance to Rayark. Our team of artists is encouraged to broaden their skills and showcase their talents at every opportunity. We also promote continuous learning, growth, and refinement of our game productions. Advancing in the artist’s field not only strengthens our creative power but also enables us to present our best to the community”.
Rayark
Nevertheless, Rayark admits that it is closely monitoring “the potential influence of AI Generated Content (AIGC) on the gaming industry as a whole”. The company also acknowledges that they are conducting research and experiments with new tools to prepare for what appears to be inevitable in the industry.
“Utilizing AI tools during the development process may gradually become a trend in the wider gaming industry. In the face of this transition, Rayark adopts an open-minded approach to learning, while humbly accepting feedback and suggestions from players.”
Rayark
While Rayark’s official statement clarified the extent of the company’s use of AI, it still remained a hard sell considering how the company’s Technical Lead drooled over AI in a recent interview saying it “can replace a whole team of artists and professionals” and that the gaming industry will see “massive increase in productivity”, more profits and better games.
AI may not totally eliminate all human staff in the game industry
To set the records straight, Rayark is not the only game company experimenting with AI. However, the majority of the companies that have been caught in the act said they only use it for experimenting and testing and that humans are still responsible for video game production.
We reported in March that Ubisoft had developed a Ghostwriter AI tool which the company said will be used for writing thousands of non-playable character dialogues. Ubisoft said at the unveiling of the tool that it would not replace video game writers, but rather make their work easier.
In the real sense, the use of AI is not the problem. The real problem is how far game studios are willing to push the use of AI. Nevertheless, the successful use of AI in one area will definitely encourage game studios to try it in other areas—and that is where the problem lies. Bit by bit, the bulk of human employees will be chipped away.
The errors pointed out by gamers in the case of Rayark are still a telltale sign of how hard it would be for game studios to use AI and get away with it. Gamers are increasing their scrutiny and even the tiniest error left behind by AI-generated images will likely not slide unnoticed.
At the time of writing this post, we were unable to verify if the images posted by players on Twitter were actual images from the game or images shared by Rayark. There is still the possibility that the company might have been framed by bad competitors. However, the fact that Rayark is advertising for the position of an AI artist designer is a cause for concern and throws more weight to the rumors.
Do you think it is OK for video game studios to make use of AI in game productions? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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