The team behind Ark: Aquatica, Snail Games, has recently found itself in hot water, as their latest trailer, featuring AI-generated animation, sparked a bit of controversy. Matt Kohl, the lead game designer, spoke with Aftermath to shed some light on the situation, placing the responsibility squarely on their marketing department.
Kohl explained that the perplexing decision to use artificial intelligence for animating the trailer was beyond the development team’s control. “Our marketing department handled that trailer,” he clarified. “They used AI to animate the assets, but I honestly don’t know why they thought it was a good idea. None of us on the development side had any involvement in that process, and we haven’t used AI in creating Aquatica.”
Criticism swiftly followed the trailer’s release during the Game Developers Conference (GDC), capturing fans’ attention. One scathing comment summed up the general sentiment: “This is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourselves.” As the backlash grew, Studio Wildcard, the creators of Ark: Survival Evolved, sought to distance themselves from the Aquatica project in a clear statement via Twitter.
