Subnautica 2 and 007: First Light, both of which release this month, were not made using generative AI technologies.
First Light art director Rasmus Poulsen told Eurogamer that it was decided based on a “combined discussion between core executives” at developer IO Interactive that the team would not use generative AI for the James Bond game.
“I think it’s a large discussion. I’d rather not dive into the details, because it’s complicated,” Poulsen added.
As for Subnautica 2, the game’s creative media producer Scott MacDonald told Eurogamer that, “We’re not using generative AI in Subnautica 2 at all.” He said generative AI is an “interesting technology, but it’s not something we’re using at all.”
In 2025, Subnautica developer Unknown Worlds’ owner Krafton said it was investing many millions of dollars to become an AI-first company. MacDonald said what this meant for Subnautica 2 was that Krafton provided “all the tools” for AI if Unknown Worlds wanted to use them, and the studio decided doing so didn’t fit with the team’s vision.
“I think [Krafton] is smart enough to know that if we had to use those tools it could be disruptive to our process at this point. So a mandate would be harmful to the development of the game,” design lead Anthony Gallegos said.
Subnautica 2 launches into early access on May 14, with First Light following on May 27, although people looking to play on Switch 2 have to wait longer.
The use of generative AI in games has been a hot topic. In related news, the developers of the Kingdom Come series recently responded to an accusation that it fired a developer to save money with AI. Also recently came the announcement that EA’s quality-assurance teams use AI systems to assist them. Reporter Jason Schreier recently said almost every big game studio is currently using some form of AI in their processes.