The Project Windless team isn’t using gen-AI for “content creation or narrative elements”, Krafton has confirmed.
Last night, Krafton announced Project Windless, an open-world PlayStation 5 game based on an acclaimed series of South Korean high fantasy novels known as The Bird That Drinks Tears.
Soon after its trailer debuted at last night’s PlayStation State of Play, many began to wonder if generative AI had been used during development. So, I decided to go to the source and find out, and while the Project Windless team has used AI “internally during exploratory phases” for efficiency’s sake, it is not “a central, player-facing feature” of the upcoming game.
“Krafton’s studios operate with a high degree of creative independence, enabling each team to select the tools and methods that best suit their projects,” a Krafton spokesperson told Eurogamer.
“For Project Windless, the Montreal team is taking a traditional, craftsmanship-driven approach to single-player development. The team primarily uses AI internally during exploratory phases to support iteration and efficiency rather than as a central, player-facing feature of the game.
“Project Windless uses traditional game AI systems to drive NPC behaviour and bring the world and its characters to life beyond combat. These systems govern how characters react, move, and behave in the environment. We are not using generative AI for content creation or narrative elements.”
So, there you have it.
You of course don’t need me to tell you how much of a hot topic AI is these days, and many studios have said they use the technology during development. Most prominently in recent months, Larian came under fire when founder Swen Vincke suggested the Divinity team was using gen-AI to develop concept art.
Following backlash to this statement, Vincke said “to ensure there is no room for doubt”, Larian had decided to “refrain from using gen-AI tools during concept art development” for its upcoming game.
“That way there can be no discussion about the origin of the art,” Vincke said in January.
For more from last night, meanwhile, you can check out everything announced at the PlayStation State of Play in Connor’s handy roundup.
