TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
'What needs to be done by hand versus what a machine can do more efficiently?'
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In a new capital markets briefing from Nexon, Patrick Söderlund, the newly appointed Nexon executive chairman and CEO of Arc Raiders and The Finals developer Embark Studios, spoke extensively about everyone's favourite subject in games right now: AI. More specifically, he talked about how Embark's approach to game development and AI can be deployed across Nexon's teams in some form.
Under a slide titled "Redesigning game development," Söderlund explains that "every company has a plan" when it comes to AI, but "most will get it wrong."
"AI may be a race, but the winners won’t be the first movers—the winners will be the ones who understood the challenge," by which he means fully grasping how and why certain AI tools are used. Nexon, Söderlund remarks, understands this challenge from decades in the industry. All of this history is "context—tens of billions of data points," he says, and "AI makes it usable at speed, and at scale."
But, as Söderlund points out, Embark Studios didn't have that history back when it formed to make The Finals and Arc Raiders. The studio paid attention to one question: "What needs to be done by hand versus what a machine can do more efficiently?"
"Yes, some of that involves AI," Söderlund explains. "But it’s really about encouraging people to use smarter processes, better tools, and to let go of habits that no longer serve them."
"The initial outcome of that process is two games: The Finals and then Arc Raiders. Two games, built with significantly fewer people, at a fraction of the cost you’d expect for a AAA game."
Both games took advantage of AI tools during development, such as controversial, cost-saving AI voices, which are now being replaced (at least partially) in Arc Raiders. Söderlund commented that "a real professional actor is better than AI," which isn't something I ever doubted, but it does raise questions about the value of AI-generated assets and in-game content—and, if Embark recognises that real voice actors are better, why it used AI in its games in the first place.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best de...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
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Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
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The Watchlist
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Once a month
SFX
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Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
In a new capital markets briefing from Nexon, Patrick Söderlund, the newly appointed Nexon executive chairman and CEO of Arc Raiders and The Finals developer Embark Studios, spoke extensively about everyone's favourite subject in games right now: AI. More specifically, he talked about how Embark's approach to game development and AI can be deployed across Nexon's teams in some form.
Under a slide titled "Redesigning game development," Söderlund explains that "every company has a plan" when it comes to AI, but "most will get it wrong."
"AI may be a race, but the winners won’t be the first movers—the winners will be the ones who understood the challenge," by which he means fully grasping how and why certain AI tools are used. Nexon, Söderlund remarks, understands this challenge from decades in the industry. All of this history is "context—tens of billions of data points," he says, and "AI makes it usable at speed, and at scale."
But, as Söderlund points out, Embark Studios didn't have that history back when it formed to make The Finals and Arc Raiders. The studio paid attention to one question: "What needs to be done by hand versus what a machine can do more efficiently?"
"Yes, some of that involves AI," Söderlund explains. "But it’s really about encouraging people to use smarter processes, better tools, and to let go of habits that no longer serve them."
"The initial outcome of that process is two games: The Finals and then Arc Raiders. Two games, built with significantly fewer people, at a fraction of the cost you’d expect for a AAA game."
Both games took advantage of AI tools during development, such as controversial, cost-saving AI voices, which are now being replaced (at least partially) in Arc Raiders. Söderlund commented that "a real professional actor is better than AI," which isn't something I ever doubted, but it does raise questions about the value of AI-generated assets and in-game content—and, if Embark recognises that real voice actors are better, why it used AI in its games in the first place.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best de...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?