Despite other video game corporations implementing generative AI technology, Nintendo has taken a quietly public negative stance on the issue.
According to an investor Q&A from late June (spotted and translated by Tweaktown), President Shuntaro Furukawa said that while the company remains open to experimenting with technological advancements like generative AI, there are no plans to use it while creating new games due to problems with copyright.
Furukawa is not against AI as a whole, noting that AI has been used for NPCs and other parts of game development. However, “generative AI, which has been a hot topic in recent years, can be more creative, but we also recognize that it has issues with intellectual property rights.”
He continued: “We have decades of know-how in creating optimal gaming experiences for our customers, and while we remain flexible in responding to technological developments, we hope to continue to deliver value that is unique to us and cannot be achieved through technology alone.”
Nintendo has always been very protective of its intellectual property — you can argue that it’s its top priority. The company has never been concerned about using the latest hardware or following many video game trends, focusing more on making games in its successful brands. There’s a reason why the Nintendo Switch still sells well despite being around seven years old.
The corporation’s stance is in contrast to ones made by its competition, like Electronic Arts, PlayStation, and Microsoft/Xbox. On the hardware side, Nvidia has become one of America’s most valuable companies due in part to its implementation of generative AI technology in its chips.
However, so far the video game and AI relationship has been a bit of a mess, with a lot of vague language about new features, such as NPC generation, and concerns around human work, such as voice acting. The moves have also progressed in line with numerous layoffs throughout the game industry.