Activision Reportedly Uses AI to Generate Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Cosmetic, Sparking Industry Concerns

Activision Reportedly Sold an AI-Generated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Cosmetic - IGN

Activision reportedly sold an "AI-generated cosmetic" for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in late 2023. In a report from Wired on the impact of generative AI on the video game development industry and concern among many within it about the threat to their livelihoods, it is alleged that Activision "made an AI-generated cosmetic available for purchase on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 store." The cosmetic in question is not named in the article, but it is linked to: the Yokai's Wrath bundle released in December 2023. The store did not disclose any use of generative AI for this bundle. This bundle was sold for 1,500 COD Points, the premium virtual currency sold for real-world money that generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Activision each year. 1,500 COD Points is approximately valued at $15. It's worth pointing out that Wired did not specify which part of this bundle was AI-generated, or indeed whether all of it was. The bundle contained a number of virtual items, including an Operator skin, a weapon blueprint, a calling card, a weapon sticker, and a loading screen, all below. IGN has asked Activision for comment. Wired pointed out that Microsoft, which owns Activision Blizzard after its $69 billion acquisition of the company last year, cut 1,900 staff from its gaming business just months after Activision sold this skin. The report alleged that 2D artists' jobs are being replaced by AI at the company. "A lot of 2D artists were laid off," one anonymous Activision artist told the site. "Remaining concept artists were then forced to use AI to aid in their work." Activision employees were allegedly "made" to sign up for AI training, with its use promoted throughout the business. Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. Earlier this month, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about the company's initiatives involving AI. In response, Furukawa said generative AI can be used "in creative ways," but said its use "also raise issues with intellectual property rights." Generative AI thus far has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI's struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy. For instance, Keywords Studios attempted to create an experimental game internally using entirely AI. The game failed, with Keywords citing to investors that AI was "unable to replace talent." Video game console makers Microsoft and Sony are all-in on AI. Microsoft, for example, is reportedly making an Xbox AI chatbot to automate support tasks such as game refunds, deal with broken consoles and subscription issues, and answer questions about error codes. Meanwhile, head of PlayStation Productions and head of product at PlayStation Studios Asad Qizilbash weighed in on AI to say its use in video games is important to Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers who seek "personalization across everything." "For instance, non-player characters in games could interact with players based on their actions, making it feel more personal," Qizilbash said. "This is important for the younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, who are the first generations that grew up digitally and are looking for personalization across everything, as well as looking for experiences to have more meaning." Earlier this year, EA boss Andrew Wilson told the investment community that "more than 50% of our development processes will be positively impacted by the advances in generative AI." Wilson, who oversees EA Sports FC, The Sims, and BioWare games, added that AI will make game development "more efficient", revealing that the EA Sports FC developers can now make stadiums in six weeks rather than six months. The Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle has also expressed caution and frustration at the growing presence of AI within the video game industry, calling it "inevitable" but "dangerous."

Activision Reportedly Sold an AI-Generated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Cosmetic

Activision reportedly sold an "AI-generated cosmetic" for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in late 2023. In a report from Wired on the impact of generative AI on the video game development industry and concern among many within it about the threat to their livelihoods, it is alleged that Activision "made an AI-generated cosmetic available for purchase on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 store." The cosmetic in question is not named in the article, but it is linked to: the Yokai's Wrath bundle released in December 2023. The store did not disclose any use of generative AI for this bundle. This bundle was sold for 1,500 COD Points, the premium virtual currency sold for real-world money that generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Activision each year. 1,500 COD Points is approximately valued at $15. It's worth pointing out that Wired did not specify which part of this bundle was AI-generated, or indeed whether all of it was. The bundle contained a number of virtual items, including an Operator skin, a weapon blueprint, a calling card, a weapon sticker, and a loading screen, all below. IGN has asked Activision for comment. Wired pointed out that Microsoft, which owns Activision Blizzard after its $69 billion acquisition of the company last year, cut 1,900 staff from its gaming business just months after Activision sold this skin. The report alleged that 2D artists' jobs are being replaced by AI at the company. "A lot of 2D artists were laid off," one anonymous Activision artist told the site. "Remaining concept artists were then forced to use AI to aid in their work." Activision employees were allegedly "made" to sign up for AI training, with its use promoted throughout the business. Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. Earlier this month, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked about the company's initiatives involving AI. In response, Furukawa said generative AI can be used "in creative ways," but said its use "also raise issues with intellectual property rights." A lot of 2D artists were laid off. Remaining concept artists were then forced to use AI to aid in their work. Generative AI thus far has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI's struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy. For instance, Keywords Studios attempted to create an experimental game internally using entirely AI. The game failed, with Keywords citing to investors that AI was "unable to replace talent." Video game console makers Microsoft and Sony are all-in on AI. Microsoft, for example, is reportedly making an Xbox AI chatbot to automate support tasks such as game refunds, deal with broken consoles and subscription issues, and answer questions about error codes. Meanwhile, head of PlayStation Productions and head of product at PlayStation Studios Asad Qizilbash weighed in on AI to say its use in video games is important to Gen Z and Gen Alpha gamers who seek "personalization across everything." "For instance, non-player characters in games could interact with players based on their actions, making it feel more personal," Qizilbash said. "This is important for the younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha audiences, who are the first generations that grew up digitally and are looking for personalization across everything, as well as looking for experiences to have more meaning." Earlier this year, EA boss Andrew Wilson told the investment community that "more than 50% of our development processes will be positively impacted by the advances in generative AI." Wilson, who oversees EA Sports FC, The Sims, and BioWare games, added that AI will make game development "more efficient", revealing that the EA Sports FC developers can now make stadiums in six weeks rather than six months. The Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle has also expressed caution and frustration at the growing presence of AI within the video game industry, calling it "inevitable" but "dangerous." Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Activision Blizzard is reportedly already making games with AI, and quietly sold an AI-generated microtransaction in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Some of the biggest names in the business have already adopted the controversial tech Activision Blizzard, among other big-name video game companies, is reportedly already using generative AI to create some of the world's biggest games. Generative AI has been a scolding hot topic for well over a year now, with developers from across the industry speaking out against the tool's potentially harmful impact on job security, human creativity, and the ways it can be used to make unquestionably unethical content like deepfake porn mods. But a new report from Wired paints a picture of an industry that has already quietly accepted the technology, at least in some major AAA studios. Speaking to Wired, one anonymous source who once worked at the Call of Duty publisher claims that the company promised generative AI would only be used for concept art and other materials that wouldn't make their way into the final game. However, the article claims that by the end of the year, Activision was already selling AI-generated skins in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 via the Yokai's Wraith bundle. Another anonymous source told the site that "a lot of 2D artists were laid off" as part of Microsoft's wider cuts, which left almost 2,000 employees out of a job. "Remaining concept artists were then forced to use AI to aid their work," the source continues, and have since been made to sign up for training sessions on how to use AI tools. That's because, for now, 2D art assets are easier for AI to conjure up, meaning concept artists, illustrators, graphic designers, and more jobs are all at higher risk. "Half the environment art team" was also cut from the Overwatch 2 team, according to former Blizzard artist Lucas Annunziata at the time, though it's unclear if the talented artists working on the hero shooter have the same AI mandate, too. As the Wired investigation notes, none of the developers who came forward were in favor of using generative AI. The push to use the technology almost always comes from the executive level, who sees cheaper costs and "good enough" art as acceptable. Rachael Cross, a one-time concept artist at Riot Games, told the site that the AI problem is "emblematic of a much larger issue" around the way game workers are treated. After looking at the endless list of mass layoffs and studio closures in recent months, it would be hard to argue with her. Thankfully, video game studios across the industry are unionizing - Starfield and the Elder Scrolls 6 makers at Bethesda Game Studios created one of the largest cross-department unions in the industry just last week, for example. The Writers Guild of America successfully combated the issue last year when it organized to make sure Hollywood studios couldn't use AI without a screenwriter's permission.

A new report suggests AI might be replacing video game workers - Fast Company

AI image generation is getting better, so much better that it could potentially present an existential threat for some video game developers. 2D animation is their trade but is also the primary task of services like Open AI's image generator Dall-E and Vizcom. As record layoffs hit the gaming world, a new Wired investigation shows that these companies may be looking to take advantage of AI. The report interviewed artists, illustrators, and designers across the video game industry and centered on Call of Duty producer Activision Blizzard. Microsoft completed its acquisition of Activision in October 2023, slashing 1,900 jobs from its gaming division just a month later. Meanwhile, internal communications published by Wired reveal that, at the time, the company was more heavily considering the usage of AI. Notably, there's no discrete tie between job loss and AI uptake. However, the workers quoted in Wired's report, and several on social media have been more willing to draw those comparisons. What is true is that video game creators, with a predominantly non-union workforce, are especially sensitive to AI industry upheavals. AI is not a future problem: it's here now, and the video game industry is adapting to it.