‘I Don’t Think Prompting Is Art’: The Last of Us Co-Creator Isn’t a Fan of Generative AI

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Generative AI is still a major talking point for gamers, and this week brought a lot of different opinions and discussions about it.

Swen Vincke, the head of Larian Studios, sparked criticism after sharing how his team is using potentially problematic tools while developing their upcoming game, Divinity.

Okay, so another game dev just chimed in on the whole AI thing, and it’s not good news for fans of generated AI. Bruce Straley – you probably know him as one of the guys who made The Last of Us – basically said he’s not a fan. He’s giving it a thumbs down, which is pretty interesting coming from someone with his experience.

Speaking with Polygon about his upcoming game, Coven of the Chicken Foot, the developer from Wildflower Studios stated they aren’t using AI in the game’s creation and believe it would stifle their creativity.

Straley describes the situation as a snake eating its own tail – unable to develop or come up with original ideas. It simply repeats what it’s already taken in, and that’s the limit of its ability at the moment.

In Coven of the Chicken Foot, you’ll have a creature companion that learns from your actions and helps you on your journey, much like Trico in The Last Guardian. Importantly, this companion’s behavior is entirely programmed by the developers – it doesn’t use any of the newer, automatically generated AI technology.

Straley expressed frustration that it’s hard to talk about the new game because the phrase ‘AI companion’ is now easily misunderstood.

It’s hard to explain this creature because, in my game, all the characters you don’t control are powered by artificial intelligence,” Straley explains.

We have programmers who work with AI, but they’re not created by AI. It’s important to avoid implying we used machine learning or large language models – this is all human work, involving careful problem-solving and creative thinking, which I actually find appealing. I appreciate things that aren’t perfect – like handmade pottery with slight imperfections. Those flaws are what make it interesting and unique, just like in art.

I was really struck by something Straley said – he feels that art made by AI, while technically impressive, just doesn’t have that emotional depth, that ‘soul,’ that really makes human art connect with you on a deeper level. It’s like it’s missing something essential.

He believes art needs a human touch. He has no desire to watch TV shows or view art created by robots, and doesn’t consider simply giving instructions to a computer to be a creative act.

Several games released this year have started using generative AI, but this has sparked a lot of discussion and criticism from players. Games like ARC Raiders, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and Let It Die: Inferno are just a few examples that have drawn attention and debate.

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2025-12-18 16:07