WoW: AI Won’t Be Replacing Ion Hazzikostas Any Time Soon
WoW director Ion Hazzikostas is confident that he and other developers won’t be replaced by AI any time soon.
In a recent IGN interview, Ion Hazzikostas and Holly Longdale delved into the latest Dragonflight Patch 10.1: Embers of Neltharion. They also discussed the rise of AI tools in creative fields. During the conversation, Hazzikostas revealed that he asked ChatGPT: “What the next WoW expansion should be about?” And the AI’s answer only strengthened his confidence as it responded: “Return to the Shadowlands.”
“I kid you not, the number one prompt it returned to me… was ‘Return to the Shadowlands.’ So I feel like I have pretty good job security, not too worried about ChatGPT replacing me anytime soon.”
— Ion Hazzikostas
As we’re all aware, Shadowlands is one of the most controversial expansions to date. With various issues leaving a lasting impact on the community, people have yet to fully recover from said journey. Given this situation, it would be unwise for WoW to simply return players to the very same circumstances they were relieved to escape from. For a detailed overview of Shadowlands and how it was received by the community, be sure to check out our comprehensive summary.
However, Hazzikostas also revealed that the team has been utilizing AI technology in its art pipeline for several years now. Mostly to automate tedious and repetitive tasks that would otherwise bog down the creative process. Thanks to these tools, the team is able to free up time to focus their efforts on crafting truly breathtaking artwork rather than being tied up with mundane duties like adjusting the fit of helms on Blood Elf ears.
The World of Warcraft team is constantly exploring new ways to integrate AI into the realm of interactive gaming. The ongoing advancements in AI technology hold great promise for the future of the WoW franchise and can greatly enhance its creative efforts.
“When we’re talking about living in a world that we want to feel alive, there’s a lot of opportunity there. We are so focused on excellence in the craft, in our design that we want to make sure that everything has our human touch. But I do think there’s a lot of opportunity in an interactive space to see what the opportunities are. And we have for quite some time now.
AI is… not new to us in our day-to-day. And evolution in AI is certainly going to help us, but it’s always been here.”
— Holly Longdale
As of now, Patch 10.1 is live, and it’s time to delve deep into the mysteries of Zaralek Cavern. Experience the cross-faction guilds first-hand and spend some time with the new Niffen folks. There’s even speculation that this update might offer more clues about the potential return of the Old Gods or perhaps the arrival of a fifth entity altogether. With so many exciting events and juicy rewards to discover, the possibilities are endless.
In related news, the highly anticipated RWF for Aberrus, the Shadowed Crucible, is rapidly approaching on May 9. Three of the top-tier guilds — Echo, Method, and Liquid — have already released their announcement trailers. But wait, there’s more! Between May 2 and 17, a fresh Twitch Drops event will be taking place. It features the exclusive Ethereal Portal to help you travel in style and the stunning Blazing Hippogryph mount.
So don’t miss out on the action, as the time has come for you to explore what’s left of the fallen Aspect and dive deeper into the dark past of Neltharion!
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