Schofield: Save AAA Games by Finding True Creatives-and Teaching Them AI
Glen Schofield, the Dead Space creator and founder of Striking Distance Studios, says AAA game development needs the right people in charge and creatives willing to learn generative AI tools to survive.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.Biz, Schofield blamed inexperienced leadership and poor investor due diligence for the current state of the industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, billions poured into gaming studios, but much of that money went to leaders who weren't ready for the responsibility.
"When you have that much money coming in, you inevitably give it to the wrong people," Schofield said. "I look at who they are and I think, 'he's ten years away, she's five years away from being able to do this.' They're handed a studio and a game at the same time."
He singled out Bungie as an example of poor investment decisions, then shifted focus to what he sees as the real solution: identifying and empowering actual creative talent.
"All you have to do is find who the true creative person is, as opposed to the person who just says they're creative," Schofield said. "There are a lot of people who copy very well."
The AI Reality Check
Schofield is skeptical of claims that AI will dramatically reduce team sizes or development costs. He pushed back on the pitch that studios could make AAA games with just 20 people using AI tools.
"When I'm working through one of my levels, I'm always going, 'Move that pixel over. That should come down. I want more wires,'" Schofield said. "It's about being nuanced as hell."
But he's equally firm that creatives need to adapt. He compared resistance to AI tools with earlier pushback against motion capture technology-some artists even quit rather than adopt it.
"I wish artists would take notice that this is a great time to learn some form of AI," Schofield said. "In five years people will be coming out of school who know AI, while artists sit back saying, 'I'm not doing it.'"
He acknowledged the core concern: GenAI tools were trained on existing work without consent. "They say it steals artists' work. Too late! It's out there now," Schofield said.
Creativity Cannot Be Outsourced
Schofield's core argument remains unchanged. AI can speed up production or reduce costs, but it cannot replace the creative decisions that define a game.
"One word I don't hear in any of this is 'creativity.' You have to be creative 99% of the time," he said.
The challenge for creatives is clear: learning Generative Art tools is no longer optional if you want to remain competitive. But those tools are supplements to creative vision, not replacements for it.
For artists and designers facing pressure to adopt new technology, AI Design Courses offer a structured way to understand how these tools work and where they fit into your workflow-before someone else makes that decision for you.
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