'The Half-Life 2 of AI': Saber executive thinks the controversial tech will create great games someday but Im not so sure

Date:
Mon, 07 Sep 2026 17:00:00 +0000

Description:
Saber Interactive doubles down on its enthusiasm for AI in game development but are you sold?

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter I want to talk about Magnus Carlsen. Thats right, the chess genius who even laypeople like me know about because of how good he is. Hes leagues beyond anyone else. You wouldve
thought the room for improvement in todays world would be marginal given the game is over 500 years old, but no: somehow, someone in our lifetime is a streak ahead of any past or current human being.

The thing is, though, hes not the best chess player. Not even close. That honor goes to Stockfish, the chess computer thats many, many times better. To put it into perspective, Carlsens peak ELO rating the preeminent ranking system for chess players is 2,882. Stockfish is estimated to be somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000. Now, there is a championship exclusively for chess computers, but human players are still the main draw, despite their relative inferiority. Is this because we inherently want to see human endeavors and activities rather than anything involving a computer mind? Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

All this brings me to the recent comments made by Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer at Saber Interactive. In a recent interview with Eurogamer , he remained steadfastly bullish about generative AI, a surprising move given the recent controversy stoked by Sabers CEO Matthew Karch for saying hed have
been happy to replace Stella Sacco, one of the writers on its upcoming title Rideshare "Stimulator" , with AI .

Most companies would beat a hasty retreat and enter damage control mode, but not Saber, it seems Willits claimed that someone will make something that will change people's minds about the tech, something like the Half-Life 2 of AI. You may like Googles AI chief warns of growing AGI risks AGI may not matter, but Skynet's no threat either AI movies are already here the real test is whether anyone want to watch them "Half-Life 2 of AI" (Image credit: Jordan Oloman) Willits admits that his is a silly example, but his point remains that sooner or later, a game made entirely or in large part by AI
will be too good for players to pass up, converting the naysayers in the process. But Im not sure I share his optimism.

In a short time, AI has already irked gamers to no end. Putting AI slop
aside, think of all the high-flying titles its negatively impacted: the generated assets in Crimson Desert , DLSS 5s unsolicited makeover of Resident Evil: Requiems Grace Ashcroft , and the gen-AI disclosure of the upcoming
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (not to mention the uncomfortable moment a vigilant PR interrupted a Game Informer interview with the games Experience Director when he was asked about using such tools). Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

It's true that as gamers, weve had to contend with a lot of unsavory elements in the industry that leave a bad taste in the mouth. From the mass layoffs
and treatment of developers to the wider threat it poses to the climate, with discarded components contributing to e-waste and the vast amounts of
resources required to produce and power systems and servers.

But AI seems to exacerbate these issues, sending them into overdrive. It has the potential to make even more developers redundant, and the amount of
energy required to run such models is scarcely believable, far beyond any consumption hitherto seen in the computing world.

Perhaps this is why AI is touching a nerve with not just gamers, but the general population, and why many are reluctant to play games where its been involved? What to read next The more famous people tell me to use AI, the
less I want to Nvidia brings AI teammates to PUBG and many gamers are highly skeptical AI-powered upscaling is the future, whether we like it or not
(Image credit: Nvidia / Capcom) Putting these concerns aside, though, could
AI actually make games as good as Half-Life 2 in the future? In theory, I can see the potential for AI to speed up development, but for now, it seems best at making mistakes and creating soulless art and assets. Theres evidence to suggest that its actually slowing down developers , in other industries at least.

Maybe it will get to the point where these issues will be ironed out, and
itll create astonishingly original and mechanically flawless titles. Heck, DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassibis thinks were already in the foothills of the singularity , let alone the tech being used to create something as
trivial as a decent videogame. In fact, it would be interesting to see Hassibis program a tool for the purpose, given his former life as a dev at Bullfrog and Lionhead.

But lets imagine it could one day make a bona fide ten-out-of-ten what would the cost be to devs and the environment? And would we as gamers actually be content to play such a title, or do we inherently want to experience exclusively human endeavors, like watching two people on either side of a chessboard? (Image credit: Crystal Dynamics) I recently polled our readers about their biggest concerns in the games industry. Among the options was the use of gen-AI in game development, but it didnt rank highly.

It was a long way below the death of physical media understandable, given
the recent news of Sony s decision to scrap discs, but still a surprise to
me. It was also less concerning than the RAM crisis, but more so than layoffs and studio closures.

So heres another one for you. What do you think about a Half-Life 2 of AI? Would you play such a game, or steer clear? Or is such a thing a mere pipe dream of Corpos at the big studios? If you want to elaborate on your answers, feel free to comment below, too.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/the-half-life-2-of-ai-saber-executive-thinks- the-controversial-tech-will-create-great-games-someday-but-im-not-so-sure


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