Generative AI has moved from tech demos to shipped games in 2025—but its most visible cameos have been less “next-gen” and more “why is this here?” Across several high-profile releases and live-service experiments, developers have started leaning on AI for voice, text, and even art assets, and the early results are drawing sharp criticism from industry observers.

### AI’s Biggest Gaming Moments So Far
In Embark’s Arc Raiders, players have noticed awkward, machine-like line delivery—including mispronunciations that immediately break immersion. Meanwhile, Ubisoft has acknowledged an AI-generated loading screen image slipped into the final build of Anno 117: Pax Romana, reigniting debate over quality control and whether publishers are using generative tools as a shortcut.

Epic Games also made headlines when Fortnite featured an AI-voiced Darth Vader that, in typical internet fashion, quickly veered into chaotic territory—an incident that underlined how unpredictable AI-driven dialogue can be once players start testing boundaries. It may have been funny for a viral clip, but it’s a risky look for a platform trying to normalize AI characters.

### Where Winds Meet Shows the Limits of Chatbot NPCs
Perhaps the most straightforward example is Where Winds Meet, an open-world wuxia RPG that connected some minor NPCs to chatbot-style conversations. Players reported interactions that felt bland, generic, and occasionally nonsensical, the kind of “beige” dialogue that reads like it was generated to fill space rather than deepen the world. In some cases, players were able to push NPCs into absurd scenarios, highlighting how difficult it is to keep AI roleplay aligned with a game’s tone and narrative rules.

The broad takeaway from experts is harsh: current chatbot NPC implementations can feel “horrible,” “boring,” and “cheap,” especially when compared to authored writing and carefully directed voice performances. The technology isn’t just being judged on novelty—it’s competing directly with decades of craft in narrative design.

That said, there’s still cautious optimism. If studios treat AI as a tool for prototyping, accessibility, or tightly constrained systemic dialogue (rather than a replacement for writers and actors), it could eventually support richer reactivity without sacrificing quality. For now, though, these early deployments mostly show that players notice immediately when a character isn’t thoughtfully written—and that immersion is far easier to lose than to generate.

Source: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/horrible-boring-and-cheap-experts-pan-new-chatbot-npcs-but-some-leave-room-for-optimism