Not long after Embark Studios got some flack for using AI speech in Arc Raiders, the boss of its parent company Nexon suggested most game companies are using AI in some shape or form now.

A new interview was conducted with Nexon CEO Junghun Lee after the instant success of Arc Raiders, which just released across PC and consoles and already topped 4 million copies sold and 700,000 concurrent players.

While most of the interview focused on the game, Lee was also naturally asked about AI use at Nexon.

“AI implementation has significantly streamlined game production processes and live service operations,” Lee said to Gamespark. “In that sense, I feel the ‘average’ quality of games and live services is gradually rising.”

Though AI has been used in various forms in software technology for years, generative AI is still fairly new and controversial. 

“First of all, it is necessary to think that ‘all game companies use AI’ and ‘all game companies use the same or similar technology’. How do you survive while thinking that you have the same AI and technology? I think it is important to choose a strategy on how to increase competitiveness,” Lee added.

Despite generative AI being controversial when used in art, video, or voice acting, it seems the strategy Lee alludes to is still driven by humans.

“We’ve explored various approaches, but to conclude… if there’s a point where we can achieve differentiation in that future world, I believe it ultimately comes down to human creativity,” Lee said.

Lee also commented on the history of games and technology, and how Japan was the leading pioneer for the industry.

“In the dawn of gaming, Japan possessed the world’s greatest ability to introduce new IPs that didn’t exist anywhere else to the global stage,” Lee added. “Honestly, both the head of Embark Studios and I absolutely love Japanese games (laughs).”

ARC Raiders is now available globally across Windows PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.