RuneScape Developer Jagex Insists 'No Generative AI Will Ever Be Present in Any Asset That a Player Can Touch, Hear or Feel'

RuneScape shaper Jagex has insisted it volition ne'er usage generative AI to marque contented players really spot in-game, successful 1 of the hardest stances connected AI yet seen from a video crippled developer.

In an interrogation with GamesIndustry.biz, Jagex SVP of product, James Dobrowski, said that the UK institution is “open” to utilizing genAI for improvement processes, specified arsenic “tooling efficiency.” But helium promised Jagex volition ne'er usage genAI to "drive creativity."

"We've got a beauteous hard enactment stance with the team, which is simply a committedness that nary generative AI volition ever beryllium contiguous successful immoderate plus that a subordinate tin touch, perceive oregon feel,” Dobrowski said. “There volition beryllium nary generative AI successful the crippled that they experience.”

That rules retired the likes of AI-generated art, which we person seen successful games specified arsenic Call of Duty, AI-generated voices, which we person seen successful Arc Raiders, and AI-generated substance / dialogue, which, again, we person seen popular up successful a fig of games.

"Where we are unfastened to the usage of AI is successful things similar tooling efficiency,” Dobrowski continued, “how bash we marque the mode we enactment much businesslike successful bid to marque our staff's lives easier and let america to nutrient amended content. But we bash not privation to beryllium utilizing AI to thrust creativity." Jagex is adjacent speaking with its outer partners to marque definite nary genAI is being utilized successful “inappropriate ways successful immoderate of their enactment that mightiness filter done to the extremity game."

The usage of generative AI successful crippled improvement is 1 of the hottest topics successful the industry, and it has sparked a fig of controversies. Following the uncover of Divinity astatine the 2025 The Game Awards, Swen Vincke, brag of developer Larian, met with a backlash aft helium said the workplace was utilizing genAI successful assorted capacities. Larian ended up having to code AI concerns successful a reddit AMA successful which the workplace confirmed a U-turn connected immoderate aspects of its use.

Jagex's "hard enactment stance" is successful opposition to the attack of immoderate video crippled companies that person gone all-in connected the tech. The CEO of Genvid — the institution down choose-your-own-adventure interactive bid Silent Hill Ascension — has claimed "consumers mostly bash not care" astir generative AI, and stated that: "Gen Z loves AI slop." EA CEO Andrew Wilson, meanwhile, has said AI is "the precise halfway of our business," and Square Enix precocious implemented wide layoffs and reorganized, saying it needed to beryllium "aggressive successful applying AI." Dead Space creator Glen Schofield besides precocious elaborate his plans to “fix” the manufacture successful portion via the usage of generative AI successful crippled development, and erstwhile God of War dev Meghan Morgan Juinio said: "... if we don’t clasp [AI], I deliberation we’re selling ourselves short.”

Outside of video games, immoderate amusement companies are banning the usage of genAI altogether. For example, Games Workshop precocious banned the usage of generative AI for the accumulation of its designs and content, a determination galore Warhammer fans welcomed.

As for RuneScape, it was successful the quality precocious aft a UK tribunal ruled stealing RuneScape Gold was transgression theft successful a lawsuit that could person wider repercussions for the video crippled industry.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].