Writer, consultant and game designer Steve Ince has announced that he is retiring after 30 years in the game industry – and he has stated that he's fearful of the impact AI will have on game development (thanks, PC Gamer).
Ince started his career at Revolution Software, the home of the Broken Sword series, and worked at the studio until he went freelance in 2004. His credits include several Broken Sword outings, Beneath A Steel Sky, Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado, The Witcher (2007), Beyond a Steel Sky and Resident Evil: Village.
While he admits he's close to retirement age anyway, Ince also cites the arrival of AI in games development as another reason for him deciding to call it a day:
Games have developed unbelievably in the last three decades since I began working for Revolution Software. I must admit that I struggle to keep up. I'm also a little concerned about the threat of AI, and I fear that it may undermine the careers of many writers and creatives in the game industry and beyond. So it may be a good time to retire for this reason alone.
Ince's comments come at a time when the threat of AI feels more real than ever; recently, Marvel came under fire when it was revealed that the opening credits for its Secret Invasion TV series was created using AI. Myst studio Cyan also had to issue a statement when it was discovered that its adventure game Firmament contained a reference to "AI-assisted content" in its credits.