We spoke to Josh Pressiesen about his upcoming 5D platformer Screenbound, including his thoughts on a packed September release date (spoiler, he’s not worried), how he came up with the idea, and, among other bits and pieces, why Screenbound isn’t using any AI during its development, whatsoever.
When asked whether AI was present and used, he pointedly said:
“We are not using AI in Screenbound.”
Following on, I asked why Screenbound wasn’t using any AI:
“We want the experience to be entirely hand crafted by human creativity only, it tends to be more meaningful that way. This project is a labour of love from many incredibly talented and skilled people that we hope players will enjoy.”
AI’s use in the game industry is something of a new development, with most gamers disliking any generative AI used during a game’s development. Most studios and developers are open about the fact they’re not using it, although of course there will be some that hope to hide it knowing any disclosure will force backlash, and then there’s a smaller subsection too that doesn’t hide it.
Either way, AI use in the gaming industry is not going away, and while it may have its specific uses, as The Pines’ Kevin Jochems admits to using AI in early research, but won’t for any actual work on his first game, there has to be a realistic middle between in this new age of gaming development.
All that said, Screenbound continues to be an interesting indie game that is releasing during one of the biggest and best months of gaming, perhaps ever, this September. It’s hard to disagree with Pressiesen’s reasoning for not using AI, as with any art, it should be a labour of love and care, not just a few prompts on a screen, at least, in my opinion.
Screenbound is due for release on September 10th on PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
Are you excited for Screenbound? Will you be picking it up on release? What do you make of Presseisen’s AI remarks? Let us know in the comments below!
For more from us, check out the new trailer for Sword Sage: Awakening, or the latest addition to Fortnite’s Icon Series.
Luke Addison is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Thumb Wars. Having previously been a part of multiple outlets over the years, including building an entire gaming team from nothing to something, he thought it best to forge his own path and answer only to himself. As likely to be found playing the latest game as he is in the kitchen relaxing (by cooking), he always brings the same bold and brash attitude to everything he does, with a heavy leaning on sarcasm and dry wit!
