Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto Distances Company from AI Trend in Game Development

Legendary Mario creator on AI: Nintendo is "going the opposite direction"

Switch-maker shows little interest in jumping on the latest industry bandwagon. Further ReadingIn the last few years, large swaths of the game industry have embraced generative AI, both on the development side and for new user-generated content tools. But legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto says his company "would rather go in a different direction" when it comes to AI technology. In a recent interview with The New York Times, Miyamoto said this wasn't just contrarianism on Nintendo's part. "It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special," Miyamoto said. "There is a lot of talk about AI, for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction." Miyamoto's statement comes a few months after a more noncommittal position Nintendo President Shintaro Furukawa took in a July investor Q&A. "Generative AI, which is becoming a big topic recently, can be used in creative ways, but we recognize that it may also raise issues with intellectual property rights," Furukawa said at the time. Further ReadingIgnoring generative AI would definitely point Nintendo in a "different direction" from many major gaming companies. Electronic Arts' recent Investor Day was littered with talk of algorithmic AI and its potential to make game development more efficient. Microsoft, which has heavily invested in OpenAI, has pledged to integrate its Copilot chatbots into games like Minecraft to offer conversational tips to players. And Nvidia is busy talking up the potential for its ACE generative AI model to power completely unscripted in-game NPCs. Nintendo, on the other hand, has often been hesitant to jump on various tech industry bandwagons. While Nintendo said it was "looking into" virtual reality back in 2016, it quickly became clear the company wasn't interested in following Sony into the VR space (gimmicky cardboard Labo VR notwithstanding). "If you look at VR headsets, I doubt they can appeal to the mainstream," Nintendo France General Manager Philippe Lavoué said in a 2018 interview. "And what novelty would we bring compared to our competitors? If we do the exact same thing as everyone else, we're bound to die because we are smaller than them."

Nintendo would "rather go in a different direction" than follow AI trend, says Miyamoto

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has stated the company would "rather go in a different direction" when it comes to using AI. In an interview with the New York Times, Miyamoto discussed the importance of originality for the company and what makes Nintendo special, using AI as an example. "It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special," said Miyamoto. "There is a lot of talk about AI, for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction." The company's pursuit of originality was instilled by Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi. "Mr. Yamauchi back in the day would tell us that we are not good at fighting: 'We are weak - so don't go picking fights with other companies,'" said Miyamoto. The Mario and Zelda creator was interviewed in celebration of the newly-opened Nintendo Museum. Eurogamer also visited the museum, calling it "a joyful celebration of machines, magic and the art of play". Nintendo is certainly protective of its original franchises. AI images of Mario have been removed from the internet, ironically using an AI tool, though it's unclear if Nintendo itself is behind this. By contrast, EA CEO Andrew Wilson last week stated AI is "the very core of our business", while Nvidia boss Jensen Huang has discussed the advantages of the technology to advance graphical capabilities.

As AAA companies drool over AI, Shigeru Miyamoto says "Nintendo would rather go in a different direction"

While other video game developers turn to controversial emerging technology like generative AI, Nintendo remains true to what makes it "special" - and that's certainly not artificial intelligence. Speaking to the New York Times, mastermind Nintendo lead Shigeru Miyamoto reveals that the company's stance on AI is "different" than most others are today. "It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction," explains the man behind some of the most iconic names in Nintendo's history, from Super Mario to The Legend of Zelda. "There is a lot of talk about AI, for example." This is one such area in which Nintendo stands apart from companies like EA, who recently called AI "the very core of our business" during a live presentation. "When that happens," as Miyamoto describes, "everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction." It's refreshing to hear as a fan - originality is one of Nintendo's greatest qualities, after all. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa himself stated that the studio doesn't need generative AI to make games because it has "decades of know-how" and doesn't want any "issues with intellectual property rights." He said that the company aims "to continue to deliver value that is unique to us and cannot be achieved through technology alone." It's similar enough to Sony's own stance on AI - and I'm hopeful that more AAA developers follow suit.

Shigeru Miyamoto on AI: 'Nintendo Would Rather Go in a Different Direction' - IGN

Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has said the company would rather go in a "different direction" than the rest of the video game industry when it comes to AI. Generative AI is one of the hottest topics in the creative industries right now and a burning issue within video game development itself. Apart from ethical and copyright issues, labor unions have expressed concern about the potential for generative AI to replace jobs, and video game performers have called for increased protections against its use. Earlier this month, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said AI is "the very core of our business" -- a comment IGN subsequently explored in more detail. But according to Miyamoto, Nintendo has a different outlook. In an interview with The New York Times, Miyamoto brought up AI himself as an example of something where Nintendo would rather do things differently than its peers. "It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special, Miyamoto said. "There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example," he continued. "When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction." Miyamoto's comments follow those made by Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa in July, when he said generative AI can be used "in creative ways," but its use "also raise issues with intellectual property rights." "We have decades of know-how in creating the best gaming experiences for our players," Furukawa added. "While we are open to utilizing technological developments, we will work to continue delivering value that is unique to Nintendo and cannot be created by technology alone." They also come amid what appears to be a purge of AI-generated images showing Nintendo mascot Mario doing non-family friendly things. Meanwhile, Nintendo's video game console rivals 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. And 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." Photo by Leon Bennett/FilmMagic.

Nintendo is not interested in artificial intelligence, Miyamoto says

Legendary Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto reaffirms Nintendo's stance on artificial intelligence. While companies like Electronic Arts are going all-in on generative AI, planning to use the nascent tech across its full fleet of games, portfolios, and studios, traditional game giants like Nintendo are keeping their roots steadfast and plan to keep actual artists in their employ. The conservative Japanese Mario-maker isn't interested in using gen AI to help create its games, not leaning into disruption for the sake of profits; after all, a big reason why Tears of the Kingdom was even created was because a sizable portion of Breath of the Wild's core dev team stayed together to tackle the sequel. "It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special. There is a lot of talk about AI for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction," Miyamoto said in a recent interview with The New York Times. Miyamoto's comments reinforce Nintendo's general outlook at AI. This is also reflected in Nintendo's research and development (R&D) spending accounts, which includes experimentation and lots of investments in nascent technologies including VR, AR, and even deep learning. But AI is not included in Nintendo's R&D spending. In a recent Q&A with investors, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa commented about AI, saying that it won't be utilized by the company for many reasons--one of them is potential copyright issues.

Nintendo wants to buck the current AI gaming trends.

In an interview with The New York Times, Nintendo design guru Shigeru Miyamoto says the company has no interest in ditching originality to follow AI fads: "It might seem like we are just going the opposite direction for the sake of going in the opposite direction, but it really is trying to find what makes Nintendo special," Miyamoto said. "There is a lot of talk about A.I., for example. When that happens, everyone starts to go in the same direction, but that is where Nintendo would rather go in a different direction."