Foamstars Creators Confirm Use of AI in New PlayStation Game

Foamstars used generative AI for some of the art in the game.

By Marc Deschamps

Foamstars hasn't even released yet, but the game has already been the subject of multiple controversies. Shortly after the game's reveal, fans of Nintendo's Splatoon franchise began to call it a "clone" and even worse, a "rip-off." Now it seems Foamstars is the subject of yet another controversy, this time around the use of AI art. Square Enix confirmed to Video Games Chronicle that the upcoming PlayStation exclusive used generative AI to create the album covers that appear in the game. The publisher went on to note that everything else was created by the developers. 

"AI was used in the creation of the in-game album covers for the music featured in the FOAMSTARS' soundtrack. As developers, we're always looking at new technologies to see how they can assist with game development, " Square Enix said in a statement. "In this instance, we experimented with Midjourney using simple prompts to produce abstract images. We loved what was created and used them as the final album covers players will see in the game. Everything else was created entirely by our development team."

Foamstars Frustrations

The confirmation from Square Enix has led to massive pushback against Foamstars on social media. User @PlotBnuy says that they now hope the game "absolutely bombs" while @Aurzoh says that they have now "lost interest." Foamstars might have only used a little AI art, but many gamers are airing concerns that this could lead to the practice becoming more widespread. 

Those concerns are not unfounded. At the start of this month, a letter from Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu stated that the company plans to be "aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions." Square Enix is apparently wasting no time diving right in, and Foamstars could be the start of a trend for the company. 

AI Concerns from Creators

The use of generative AI by the video game industry has led to a significant amount of concern. Creators have been sounding the alarms about their work being stolen and repurposed without their consent, including The Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle. In an interview with IGN last month, Cockle stated that AI companies have been using his voice without permission to train their technology. Cockle is not alone in this regard, and many artists and creators have shared examples of their work being used without consent. In fact, as VGC notes, there's currently a lawsuit against Midjourney over its use of art without permission. 

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Square Enix is one of the biggest video game companies to embrace AI, and it will be interesting to see how things play out from here. If the pushback against its use in Foamstars is big enough, it could cause the company to rethink its strategy, but if the game is successful, we could start to see it in more high-profile releases, from Final Fantasy to Dragon Quest. 

Are you bothered by the use of AI in video games? Do you plan on playing Foamstars? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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