A new Circana survey says just over 25% of U.S. players would be less likely to buy a game that uses generative AI, but the more telling figure is this: neutral responses have now climbed past 50%.

Generative AI in video games remains a constant source of debate. What started years ago with bizarre clips – like the meme-famous videos of Will Smith eating spaghetti – is now everywhere: TVs, phones, movies, TV shows, and of course video games. The latest high-profile example came from Pearl Abyss, which used AI to create imagery for the paintings seen in Crimson Desert. Even so, many players do not seem especially bothered by it.

Circana’s PlayerPulse survey asked U.S. players how they would feel if a game used generative AI to create art, dialogue, text, music, or voice work. The results show that a little over 25% of respondents would be less likely to buy a game with those features, up from 22% in March 2024.

Neutral Players Now Make Up the Largest Group

The more important shift, however, appears in the rest of the data. The share of neutral players rose above 50%, while undecided responses dropped significantly. At the same time, the percentage of players who said they would be more attracted to generative AI fell slightly compared with the same survey in 2024. According to Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, most respondents landed in the neutral or undecided camp. For now, a vocal minority is openly against the use of generative AI, while the majority of players simply do not care very much either way.

That is still notable because recent hit titles such as ARC Raiders, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Crimson Desert have all sparked debate over AI use. Even so, consumer behavior suggests that buyers are accepting, directly or indirectly, that this technology is now part of the video game business. From the developer side, though, resistance is much more visible. A GDC 2025 study found that more than 50% of developers now see generative AI as a threat to the video game industry, compared with 30% the year before. Only 7% said they believe it has a positive impact. Some studios have already started walking it back, too: Embark Studios, the team behind ARC Raiders, is replacing AI-generated voices with real actors.

Source: 3DJuegos