However, the studio also offered an explanation and promised that there will be no trace of it in the final version. We will believe that when we see it.

Owlcat Games, the studio known for titles such as Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, is currently working on the upcoming sci-fi action RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. The game appeared during the Xbox Partner Preview, confirming that it is due out next spring, and before that we had already been introduced to the companions who will appear in the game. Eurogamer also revealed another aspect of the project: its development process. When asked whether the studio uses generative AI tools, the team confirmed that it does, but clarified that they are not being used for anything that could end up in the final version of the game.

“We don’t use it to create any assets that will be in the game. We use them a lot for prototyping, trying things out, and as placeholders. They will all be replaced in the end. We basically use it for trying out things on a technical level. For example, we use it to see what a 2D image looks like in 3D, or to change colours to see what looks good. So it’s basically for being able to iterate faster. But we don’t use it for writing, we don’t use AI voice actors, so everything that will be in the final version will definitely be 100% human-made”, answered PR manager Katharina Popp.

At the moment, there is no statement regarding generative AI on The Expanse: Osiris Reborn‘s Steam page, though hopefully the studio will correct that now that it has clarified how these tools are being used. It is encouraging that Owlcat apparently does not intend to include AI-generated assets in the final game, but the purpose of such a disclosure is to inform players that generative AI tools were used, regardless of whether those assets appear in the finished product they purchase.

If AI-generated elements do turn up in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn at launch, Owlcat would not be the first developer to insist those assets were never meant for the final game only for players to find them almost immediately. The most recent example was Crimson Desert, where developer Pearl Abyss claimed that the elements spotted by players were not intended for the final build, but were instead temporary placeholder assets used during the early stages of development.

Source: WCCFTech, Eurogamer, Steam