PUBG Creator Brendan Greene Supports Gamer Backlash Against AI While Using It “the Right Way”

As generative AI continues to spark debates in the gaming world, PUBG creator Brendan Greene shared his perspective on the technology, emphasizing that it should support — not replace — human creativity in development.

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Greene addressed whether his studio, PlayerUnknown Productions, uses AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), in its world-generation work. “We don’t use LLMs, so I’m not super worried [about backlash],” Greene explained. “LLMs have their uses, but there were chatbots in the 60s and 70s that achieved similar things.”

Greene described his team’s approach to AI as one that empowers artists rather than replacing them. “The systems we’re building enable artists to sculpt worlds how they want,” he said. “It’s like an orchestra: we can either be a violin player or the conductor — you pull some levers and it creates worlds pretty quickly.”

He also expressed appreciation for the community’s stance against AI overreach in games. “I’ve been really heartened to see the community revolt against AI stuff. It’s good to see that gamers go: ‘No — if it’s not built by artists, I don’t want to see it.’ So that’s been really great.” Greene reiterated that he’s “not super worried” about the studio’s AI use, as he believes they are using it in the right way — to create content faster while preserving the role of human artists.

Despite Krafton, the publisher of PUBG and a minority investor in PlayerUnknown Productions, recently branding itself as an “AI-first” company, Greene emphasized the independence of his studio. “Our overall goals at PlayerUnknown Productions are not influenced by Krafton’s chosen strategy. While Krafton remains a minority stakeholder, their internal operations are separate from ours since 2021,” he said.

Greene’s views align with other industry voices: Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu has avoided AI entirely, Arc Raiders lead Patrick Söderlund believes games “can’t be built by AI,” and Silent Hill producer Motoi Okamoto noted that bold creative choices in gaming remain beyond AI’s reach.

PlayerUnknown Productions’ upcoming project, the survival game Prologue: Go Wayback, set to launch on November 20, may offer the first glimpse of how Greene’s philosophy on AI translates into actual gameplay.