Square Enix’s Foamstars Integrates AI-generated Art into Gaming
January 17, 2024Foamstars, a game influenced by Splatoon and developed by Square Enix, is scheduled for release on February 6 as part of the PlayStation Plus at launch. While the game promises a visually engaging experience, it has raised eyebrows with the revelation that Square Enix is integrating AI-generated art into its design process.
Foamstars Integrates AI-generated Art into Gaming
During a recent press event, Kosuke Okatani, the producer of Foamstars, provided details about the development process. Despite carefully crafting essential game elements such as gameplay dynamics by Toylogic’s human developers, Square Enix has delved into using artificial intelligence. Okatani explained that a specific AI called Midjourney, specifically the art generator, was utilized for a small portion of the in-game assets.
“In terms of the content in the game, this makes up about 0.01% or even less, but we have dabbled in it by creating these icons in the game,”
Kosuke Okatani at Video Game Chronicle (VGC)
In a follow-up statement at the press event, a Square Enix representative further explained that Midjourney played a significant role in designing album covers for the in-game tracks, while clarifying that every other aspect of the game was entirely created by their development team.
“As developers, we’re always looking at new technologies to see how they can assist with game development. 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.”
A statement made at the press event
However, the use of Midjourney has not been without controversy. The AI has been embroiled in legal disputes over the alleged scraping of copyrighted material. Critics argue that relying on AI-generated art is disrespectful to the artistic community, with accusations that such practices exploit creativity without proper compensation.
As the gaming industry witnesses a trend towards leveraging AI in various facets of game development, the balance between technological innovation and ethical considerations remains a point of contention.
