Casey Hudson, the director of the original Knights of the Old Republic, is developing a new game in the series called Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. In an interview with Bloomberg, he stated that one of his goals is to prevent his team at Arcanaut Studios from becoming too large. However, unlike some of his peers, Hudson does not view generative AI as a solution for working with smaller teams.
Triple-A game development has become extremely costly. For example, 2020's Black Ops: Cold War cost over $700 million to produce, and the budget for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly in the billions. A significant portion of these expenses comes from payroll, so a smaller studio means a smaller budget, which is crucial during a period of widespread layoffs and studio shutdowns.
Hudson said about Arcanaut, 'We really want to avoid having hundreds and hundreds of people.' Yet the option many game industry executives are currently considering is not an option for him. He expressed, 'I just find AI to be creatively soulless. It’s hard to imagine where it’s actually helpful in the process. I’m just really unimpressed with it.'
While 'AI' is not clearly defined here, it likely refers to generative AI tools for content creation. Hudson is not alone in this view. Ken Levine of BioShock stated in 2025 that he is 'not overly impressed' by AI's game development capabilities, and Peter Molyneux recently echoed that 'AI is not of a high enough quality for us to really use in games right now.'
However, some disagree. Sony's Hideaki Nishino said AI will enable 'gaming experiences like never before,' and Lies of P studio Neowiz advertised for an 'AI Creator' role. Despite these opposing views, Hudson's stance is reassuring. Before his success with Mass Effect, he worked on concept and prototype art for BioWare games like MDK2, Neverwinter Nights, and Knights of the Old Republic.