Microsoft Studios Push Back on Generative AI as Elder Scrolls Online Devs Weigh the Tech
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Elder Scrolls Online developers reveal they are hesitant to use generative AI in game development, citing ethical questions, technical limits, and a desire to keep doing the creative work themselves.
While corporate leadership pushes generative AI as a mandatory leap forward for productivity, the reality on the ground inside game development studios is far more complicated. In a recent interview with Rock Paper Shotgun, Elder Scrolls Online executive producer Susan Kath revealed that the team at Zenimax Online Studios has not yet found a practical place for generative AI in their actual development pipeline. While staff members lean on tools like Copilot for administrative tasks such as meeting summaries and inbox organization, core creative pillars like art, writing, and coding remain strictly human-driven.
The hesitation to adopt generative AI stems from a mix of practical, moral, and personal factors. When asked about the core contentions behind studio discussions, Kath acknowledged that technical limitations, ethical concerns, and the simple fact that developers actually enjoy the creative work all play a role. Many creators enter the industry because they love the process of building worlds, writing quests, and tackling complex code. Outsourcing those specific tasks to a machine not only risks missing the mark on quality, but it also strips away the rewarding aspects of the job.
This friction highlights a growing disconnect between tech sector executives and the creative teams actually shipping games for PC, console, and cloud platforms. As major publishers invest heavily in automation, players and developers alike continue to question where the line should be drawn. For now, studios like Zenimax are taking a cautious approach, proving that meaningful game development still relies fundamentally on human passion rather than automated shortcuts.
Read the full report on Rock Paper Shotgun.
Tags: Industry News, The Elder Scrolls Online, Game Development, AI, Microsoft
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun