Gaming giant Electronic Arts is coming under fire for some ideas and goals discussed during the company’s Q4 and FY earnings call. Among some less controversial topics of discussion, like the success of The Sims or its live service games, CEO Andrew Wilson expanded upon his hopeful views involving the use of artificial intelligence during the game development process.
I took the time to review the official transcript of the earnings call to see exactly what Wilson said about the future of AI within the company’s ranks and to understand why some people are angry and worried about the future of video games. Here is what I learned about the company’s plan.
EA’s Desire to Embrace Artificial Intelligence
In the transcript, Wilson stated that EA is still in the very early stages of AI evolution, specifically the evolution of generative AI. He also said the company has been tied to AI since the very beginning. This is true since AI is commonly used to map how NPCs move and act, but that is not the reason that people are upset about Wilson’s explanation of his desire to use artificial intelligence. The main reason is all about improved efficiency and the rate at which EA wants to pump out titles.
With the company’s current use of AI, stadiums within its EA SPORTS games can now be made within 6 weeks instead of 6 months. During the earnings call, Wilson said his current expectation is that the time will be reduced even further. He also brought up the fact that in the game FIFA 23, there are 36 run cycles. In FC 24, there are 1,200 run cycles. Another one of Wilson’s goals is to bring individuality and realness to games to make them more immersive, but he hopes to use artificial intelligence to make that process faster.
According to Wilson, more than 50% of the development process at EA could be impacted by AI. He wants to use it to help build larger worlds with more characters and more robust storylines. He also wants to impact more people around the world and build massive online communities revolving around the company’s games. He said he does not want AI to replace anything within the process, but he does hope it will augment and enhance it.
At the very end of his comments about AI, he called building bigger, more innovative, more creative, and more fun games at a faster pace the so-called holy grail for Electronic Arts as a whole. Although, would those games truly be that amazing if artificial intelligence is largely responsible for them?
Why People Are Worried
For many, the mention of using more artificial intelligence within any business could spark images of mass layoffs within any industry. As 2024 isn’t even halfway over yet, we have already seen alarming job losses in the video game industry. What immediately comes to mind is the recent news that Microsoft will be shutting down several studios. Another studio that is being hit hard this year is Take-Two Interactive, which expects about 70 employees to be laid off in June.
What can be even more alarming is the fact that EA also experienced layoffs this year. In February, the company announced that it would reduce its workforce by 5% as a part of a plan to restructure. While Andrew Wilson did say AI is not meant to be a replacement, it is understandable why some believe that statement is false. The video game industry is struggling financially with ever-growing interest rates, and it is possible that companies could look to replace workers who love their games but need to be paid at a reasonable rate.
Across social media, many are being vocal about their dislike of more artificial intelligence being used. Very vocal content creators such as MoistCr1TikaL, SomeOrdinaryGamers, and Asmongold are all very much against the growing use of artificial intelligence within EA. If you choose to listen to what they have to say, I will warn you that their language does get quite colorful (NSFW). While I do believe there are some who view Wilson’s hopeful outlook for AI usage as a positive thing, they don’t seem to be as vocal as the ones who despise the decision.
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