Krafton's AI-Driven Approach: PUBG and Inzoi Directors Share Insights

Krafton, the Korean publisher behind popular games like PUBG: Battlegrounds and Inzoi, has announced its transition to an 'AI-first' company. This shift involves prioritizing AI as a primary means of problem-solving, which will lead to a significant reorganization and a substantial investment of $69.7 million in a new GPU cluster. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the directors of PUBG and Inzoi shared their perspectives on Krafton's AI-centric culture and its impact on game development. Taehyun Kim, director of PUBG: Battlegrounds, revealed that Krafton provides PUBG Studios with various AI tools, but the decision to use them is left to the studio. Kim stated that AI is used for code reviews, which helps identify errors, but human oversight is still necessary. Additionally, AI-generated concept art is utilized in the initial stages of development, allowing for faster concept creation. However, the final artwork is still created by hand. Kim believes that AI has the potential to empower small teams and indie studios, enabling them to innovate and develop games more quickly. In contrast, Inzoi's director, Hyungjun 'Kjun' Kim, has fully embraced AI in the development of the life-simulation game. AI is used to enable players to mod the game by importing their own assets, which are then converted into 3D objects or animations. Kjun noted that AI has not necessarily sped up the development process but has provided new tools to create novel forms of entertainment. The Inzoi team is also experimenting with AI-generated dialogue, which has shown promise but still requires refinement. The use of AI in Inzoi has faced backlash from some players, primarily due to concerns about the ethics of training data and the potential replacement of human jobs. Kjun addressed these concerns, stating that all AI models in Inzoi are trained on internal data and that AI is seen as a tool to augment human creativity, rather than replace it. As Krafton continues to invest in AI, it will be interesting to see how the gaming community responds to this shift and whether the company's gamble pays off in the long run.