Brad Wardell on Ashes of the Singularity II and the Future of AI in Gaming

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This week, Stardock unveiled Ashes of the Singularity II, a new addition to the vibrant real-time strategy (RTS) gaming scene. We were fortunate enough to chat with Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock – a renowned independent publisher behind hit strategy games such as Galactic Civilization, Offworld Trading Company, and Sins of the Solar Empire, not forgetting their impressive Windows software enhancements like Start11.

In our discussion, Brad Wardell shared his thoughts on AI in gaming, industry worries about Xbox and PC Game Pass, and the future of RTS and other strategy games amidst an industry that appears to favor titles like Fortnite and Roblox.

Jez Corden, writing for Windows Central, points out that with the release of Ashes of the Singularity 2 and Elemental: Reforged, it appears Stardock is heavily investing in strategy games. This comes at a time when the gaming industry seems to be favoring “everlasting” shooter games like Fortnite. So, the question arises, how does Stardock decide which types of games to produce, and might they venture into other genres in the future?

Jez Corden, from Windows Central, notes that Stardock is focusing on strategy games with Ashes of the Singularity 2 and Elemental: Reforged, while many other companies are concentrating on long-lasting shooter games like Fortnite. This leads to wondering how Stardock selects the games they make, and if they might start creating games in different genres.

As a game analyst, I ponder over numerous elements when contemplating the creation of a new game, and these considerations are universal for both established and emerging developers alike.

In terms of the game you’re interested in creating, it revolves around strategy, role-playing, and simulation genres. The audiences we can reach are those who share our passion for these game types, such as Discord communities discussing Total Annihilation units or Civilization I AI quirks, and appreciative fans of Crusader Kings III.

Regarding competition, our game will vie for the attention of this audience with other popular strategy, RPG, and simulation games. However, since we’ve been in the gaming industry for a considerable time and have an established following, the risk is significantly reduced. That said, even Protoss players, whom I may occasionally tease as a bitter Terran player, should know better than to provoke me!

What are some of the key ways Ashes of the Singularity 2 builds on its predecessor?

The initial version of “Ashes of the Singularity” drew inspiration from “Supreme Commander,” or so it seemed if “Supreme Commander” were made with just one-ninth of its original budget and a mortal (me) developing it rather than a genius like Chris Taylor.

The primary objective of the initial game had a dual purpose: Firstly, it aimed to display spectacular, impressive battles utilizing Oxide’s Nitrous engine, and secondly, it intended to narrate an entertaining tale set in a not-too-distant future where an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) named The Substrate confronts Post-Humans for dominance over the solar system.

As a passionate supporter, I’m thrilled to share the exciting news! This time around, our team has expanded significantly, technology has taken giant strides, and Oxide has grown into a major contender. We’ve recently collaborated with Microsoft to successfully launch a game (Ara: History Untold), and we’ve got an extraordinary narrative to unfurl, along with an RTS experience that promises to be exhilarating whether you play alone or with others.

Initially, due to budget constraints, we focused on tank-vs-tank combat using hover tanks. We opted out of incorporating human characters in the original game since they’re fragile and flexible. However, for the upcoming sequel, humans will be included in all their vulnerable and elastic glory. Moreover, the battles won’t just span continents, but will leave lasting impact on the terrain as the conflict progresses.

In the original game, Ashes of the Singularity, players appreciated the engaging gameplay, but as the game advanced, it often turned into a chaotic clash of large units due to the difficulty in managing thousands of them simultaneously in real-time. However, in the sequel, advancements in hardware have allowed for AI agents to be implemented, which efficiently carry out player commands without the need for manual formation creation. This means that players can focus on strategizing and commanding the entire battlefield rather than worrying about unit placement issues like artillery running ahead of infantry.

Essentially, the updated version offers a more engaging gaming experience as you can now control or encounter the human faction, which feels familiar yet striking. It retains the expansive scale that originally set it apart, delivering an authentic and distinctive gameplay experience.

Being one of the leading independent game publishers, we’ve witnessed quite a bit of instability and change in the industry over the past months and years. Could you share your thoughts on the challenges that some other publishers and studios are encountering?

Absolutely! Unfortunately, things might even escalate further. It seems game development is stuck in a tough loop. The high costs of producing games lead publishers to play it safe when experimenting with new ideas. By sticking to familiar ground, however, they struggle to stand out against their predecessors.

In 2025, a newly-released game doesn’t solely face competition from games sold at GameStop, as was common a decade ago. Instead, it competes against every single game ever created, including niche games, casual mobile games, and even popular platforms like Roblox.

Consequently, some games are produced at great expense, often tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, yet they fail to attract significant sales. This is a familiar predicament for many independent studios. However, if a studio with 300 employees invests five years into a game that sells poorly upon release, it can lead to a disastrous outcome.

Our current focus is on developing a novel approach to game creation that promises lower costs and higher quality outcomes. Soon, we’ll be able to share more details about this exciting venture. In the interim, let’s show understanding and support towards our friends and peers who are navigating through challenging times. We stand with them and wish them success.

As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve noticed a lot of discussions swirling around regarding Xbox Game Pass and its role within the broader games industry. Personally, I’m intrigued by the concept of subscription-based gaming services that offer an extensive library of games to enjoy at your leisure. So, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this – do you find Xbox Game Pass appealing? If given the opportunity, would you consider collaborating with such a service?

As a tech-savvy gamer, I must say Game Pass is an amazing offer for fellow gaming enthusiasts like me. However, there’s a concern lurking in the back of my mind about its potential impact on game studios’ financial health.

You see, a significant number of games purchased by gamers often end up gathering digital dust in our ever-growing backlog. These games may not get played right away, but they play a crucial role in supporting the industry by allowing studios to innovate.

However, if these same gamers have Game Pass, they might not buy the game because it’s already included in their subscription. This could potentially affect sales for some titles.

I can’t predict with certainty what the ideal model for digital, interactive entertainment will be. Each generation seems to have its unique take on it. But I do think that gamers are different from consumers of music and movies. Our engagement is more dynamic and intertwined with the creative process, making our support arguably more valuable in the long run.

Currently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic in technology discussions, yet it seems that even the tiniest integrations into video games can spark strong opposition. I’d love to hear your thoughts on AI and its role in creating content, particularly within gaming – or any other domain you find interesting.

The use of AI is relatively fresh and frequently misused, as its inception hasn’t provided enough time for a deeper understanding and more refined perspectives to emerge. However, what I would like to emphasize is the importance of transparency in utilizing AI.

Galactic Civilizations IV was, in my opinion, one of the first games to utilize AI extensively. This feature allows players to describe their desired alien species, and an AI generates text and images based on that description. Interestingly, there were no major negative reactions to this. The reason for this is likely because we made it clear from the beginning that the artwork generated by the AI was derived directly from our artists’ work. It appears that gamers tend to be understanding as long as transparency is maintained and they aren’t presented with something that feels like haphazard AI-generated content.

As an analyst, I find it intriguing that while AI-generated art and content grab headlines, it’s the underlying programming that truly holds significant promise. I believe this development will yield numerous benefits, particularly for the gaming community, and contribute positively to the industry’s growth overall.

I’d like to illustrate how revolutionary AI programming can be through an example: our latest release, Elemental: Reforged. Unlike its predecessor, Elemental: War of Magic, which was exclusively developed in English (with numerous text strings spread across hundreds of files), using traditional methods would make it extremely challenging to create German, Polish, French, Chinese, or Russian versions of the game. Without AI, the task would require human developers to spend several months meticulously programming each translation – a process that AI can now handle much more efficiently.

In the project titled “Elemental,” we employed AI to sift through vast amounts of code and data, isolate all the strings, and organize them into a structured string table for easier management. Subsequently, our AI had the challenging task of replacing outdated string formatting methods like `sprintf(string,”%s was hit by %s for %d damage”, strName, strWeapon, ulDamage)` with a contemporary string replacement system. Interestingly, these instances were scattered across numerous files authored by developers in earlier times.

Elemental is simply one illustration of such games. I believe you’ll encounter numerous well-crafted games from the past, which can be updated to match current standards without requiring substantial investments. Consider those beloved games from the ’90s or early 2000s that didn’t receive enough popularity to warrant remastering them on a large scale. Imagine revamped versions of classics like Kohan or Planescape: Torment. It would indeed be magnificent!

A big thanks to Brad Wardell and Stardock for fielding our questions!

Brad Wardell deserves a big thank you for discussing games with us! The gaming industry is experiencing rapid change currently, with an apparent generation gap causing a rift among audience preferences and escalating risks for various game types. Artificial intelligence might well be instrumental in the future of game design, but the creative industries are wary about the possible negative reactions that could come with its implementation.

Microsoft’s gaming income has also been boosted significantly by Xbox Game Pass, and there’s been much discussion about its possible influence within the gaming sector – despite it being widely appreciated by consumers.

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2025-08-07 17:13