In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Zenless Zone Zero producer Zhenyu Li shared insights into the role of AI in the game’s development. Speaking through an interpreter, Li revealed that AI-generated content is used “program-wise” to “better smoothen the game progress.”
AI’s Limited Role in Programming for Zenless Zone Zero
While specific examples of AI programming were not provided, Li emphasized that AI “only consists of a small part of the programming [in Zenless Zone Zero], mostly to help the programming team to smoothen the production process, to actually make our work more efficient.”
Li, acknowledging his non-technical background, stressed that AI’s involvement in Zenless Zone Zero is minimal and primarily aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the production process. This careful integration ensures that the development team can maintain high standards while streamlining certain aspects of game creation.
Artistic Vision Remains Human-Centric
One of the standout features of Zenless Zone Zero is its vibrant, urban art style, which sets it apart from Hoyoverse’s other titles like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. Li clarified that this unique visual style is not AI-generated. Instead, the team is committed to “create something from our own mind” when it comes to art-related content. This sentiment was echoed in a later statement to Eurogamer, emphasizing that the entire team believes in human creativity driving the artistic aspects of the game.
Regarding voice work, Li confirmed that Zenless Zone Zero employs traditional voice actors across multiple languages, continuing Hoyoverse’s trend of using high-quality human voice talent. This approach contrasts with the use of AI technology for voice generation. While Hoyoverse has previously utilized an AI called Anti-Entropy for their Lumi_N0va virtual avatar and in their romance mystery game, Tears of Themis, Zenless Zone Zero relies on human voice actors to bring its characters to life.
Li did not confirm whether NVIDIA’s Avatar Cloud Engine (ACE) generative tech was used in Zenless Zone Zero. However, he acknowledged its potential benefits. ACE, which was showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), is an AI-powered technology that aids in generating facial animations and text-to-speech inputs, assisting in character creation. This technology aligns with the methods used by the Star Rail development team, which employs AI to enhance character facial appearances and behavioral patterns.
While AI is transforming video game development, with 62% of studios reportedly already incorporating it, Li’s comments suggest that Zenless Zone Zero lightly dips its toes into this controversial tech. For now, Hoyoverse continues to rely predominantly on human creativity and talent, reserving AI for specific, efficiency-enhancing tasks.
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Pokdepinion: This will be one of the bigger challenges in games development moving forward. Using AI can help speed up the process but how does one balance it with actual human contribution to ensure that it remains a proper project. Full reliance on AI will undoubtedly lead to a lot of scorn within the industry and gamers themselves.
