Exodus confirms a human-first build: no generative AI planned
Archetype Entertainment has clarified its stance: Exodus is being built without generative AI. Co-founder Chad Robertson says the studio is using human talent across the board and has no plans to integrate genAI into the game's development.
Matthew McConaughey's in-game voice work is fully recorded in person. Robertson confirmed that every line in Exodus is bespoke VO for the project. McConaughey does have a separate agreement with ElevenLabs, but that deal doesn't touch Exodus' production.
On future use, Robertson was direct: "We don't have plans to use generative AI for any elements of it," while noting the team reserves the right to adjust if quality, timelines, or budget require it. As of now, the intent is clear-ship with human-created assets.
Why this matters for engineering and production leads
This stance sets guardrails for tooling, staffing, and content pipelines. If you're leading teams, assume hand-crafted writing, VO, and content with the corresponding timelines and QA cycles.
It also isolates AI voice risks. With bespoke VO and no genAI in the loop, the studio reduces issues around likeness licensing, consent, and model drift-especially relevant given ongoing union discussions and evolving vendor terms.
- Set a clear AI policy early. Define what "no genAI" covers: writing, VO, art, level design, code suggestions, or only player-facing content.
- Lock down contracts. Ensure voice, likeness, and script agreements explicitly cover synthetic use, dataset training, and future reuse.
- Design for traceability. Keep an audit trail for every asset. If you ever pivot, you'll know what's human-made vs. model-assisted.
- Plan your fallbacks. If schedule pressure hits, identify where limited AI assistance could be safe (tooling, placeholder iteration) without touching creative identity.
- Protect source data. Restrict uploads of proprietary scripts, art bibles, or VO takes to third-party tools unless terms are airtight.
Where AI voice fits (and doesn't) in this case
McConaughey's separate ElevenLabs agreement simply means his voice may be licensed for other work outside Exodus. For the game itself, it's all custom sessions. For teams shipping VO-heavy titles, this is a clean model: contract bespoke, keep synthetic use separate, and make the boundaries public.
Timeline and hiring signals
Exodus targets early 2027. Expect a production plan weighted toward writers, narrative design, VO direction, and editorial polish. If you're building teams, you'll want strong pipeline engineers for asset management and localization without relying on genAI shortcuts.
Practical next steps for studios
- Publish an internal AI usage memo (what's allowed, what's not, who approves exceptions).
- Add AI clauses to talent and vendor contracts (training rights, dataset consent, reuse limits).
- Run small, isolated R&D tracks for AI-assisted tools so you can pivot later without contaminating production assets.
- Measure impact with hard metrics: iteration time, bug rate, editorial rework, voice retake counts.
Bottom line: Exodus is committing to human-created content today, with a pragmatic escape hatch if production realities shift. Clear policy, clean contracts, and airtight data practices make that choice workable at scale.
If your team needs a baseline understanding of AI options-without pushing them into your live pipeline-this curated list can help: AI courses by job role.
Your membership also unlocks:
