NTE Studio's AI Tango: A Peek Behind the Digital Curtain, Mate?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
NTE Studio has clarified its use of AI in the hit RPG `Neverness to Everness`, admitting to applying it for a "small number" of environmental assets while staunchly denying its use for characters or story, sparking mixed reactions among players despite pre-launch disclosures.
Right, so `Neverness to Everness` – or `NTE` for those who prefer their game titles less…well, never-ending – has been making some serious waves, eh? This open-world action RPG, fresh out of the gate from Hotta Studio and Perfect World Games, dropped like a meteor and quickly snagged a decent 75 on OpenCritic. Players are absolutely loving its urban fantasy vibe, swanky combat, and a story that pulls you in faster than a rogue spell. It's even got folks drawing comparisons to the big hitters like `Genshin Impact` and `Zenless Zone Zero` over at Hoyoverse, pulling in some truly bonkers Twitch viewership numbers. Fair dinkum, it's been a smash!
But hold your horses, because where there's buzz, there's often a bit of a kerfuffle. This time, the whisperings (and then full-blown shouts, let's be honest) have been about AI. Specifically, generative AI. Players, ever the digital Sherlock Holmes, started spotting what they reckoned were AI fingerprints all over the place: backgrounds, in-game ads, posters, even a suspicious eyebrow or two on character faces during cutscenes. Bloody hell, people are perceptive!
Now, NTE Studio has finally chimed in via their official Twitter, responding to these concerns. And here’s the rub, mate: they’ve admitted to using *some* AI-assisted development tools. But before you go clearing out your game library with a virtual pitchfork, they’re keen to clarify it’s only for a "small number" of backgrounds and other environmental assets. Think along the lines of the "Clear Skies in Summer arc" and the "Pink Paw Heist looting game" – very specific instances. And good on them, they’re already reviewing and reworking these assets, which sounds like a solid step.
Here’s where it gets interesting: the dev team is adamant that the characters, stories, and the world itself are 100% human-crafted. They're clearly proud of their artists, writers, and designers, which, let's be real, is precisely what we want to hear. Nobody wants their beloved digital waifu or husbando to have been conjured by a fancy algorithm, do they?
What’s even more fascinating is that this isn't exactly brand-new news if you were paying close attention. The game's executive director, Yang Lei, apparently mentioned pre-launch that AI *would* be used, but only for "atmospheric elements and renderings created for reference." So, a heads-up was given, though perhaps the community's radar wasn't quite tuned to the right frequency at the time, or the nuance got a bit lost in translation.
Player reactions, as you might expect, are a mixed bag. Some are shrugging it off, saying they don't care as long as it doesn't cost human devs their jobs – a very sensible perspective, if you ask me. Others are taking a harder stance, outright refusing to play if *any* AI-generated assets are present. And a few are having a proper go at the leadership for what they see as a lack of transparency. It’s a thorny issue, this AI business, and the gaming world is still figuring out its moral compass.
Ultimately, `Neverness to Everness` seems to be weathering the storm, proving that a cracking game can sometimes transcend these debates. But this whole episode just highlights that in the brave new world of game development, transparency and dialogue with your players are more crucial than ever. Are developers going to have to list ingredients like it's a food packet? "May contain traces of AI-generated pixels"? Only time will tell, eh?
Original reporting by Matthew Schomer at GameRant.
Tags: Web3 Gaming, AI in Games, Game Development, Player Feedback, Neverness to Everness
Original article: Game Rant