The Expanse: Osiris Reborn got a big showing at today’s Xbox Partner Preview. A trailer showcasing combat and key dialogue decisions is going over fairly well with fans, but arguably just as important (or more so) was the reveal that a playable beta will soon be available—a year or more before a planned Spring 2027 launch. Wild.
Somewhat less noticed, at least thus far, is the fact that developer Owlcat Games (Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader, Pathmaker: Kingmaker and more) has come right out and said that generative AI is being used in the development of this game. Given how much hot water games like Crimson Desert have come under lately for gen-AI that’s left intact at launch, I can appreciate why the devs would want to get that out of the way here and now. What matters most, however, is their vow that it’ll all be human-made when the game releases.
100 Percent Human Made (Protogen, Take Note)
Robert Purchese at Eurogamer asked the question on plenty of our minds during a press briefing, and PR manager Katharina Popp dutifully replied. Yes and no. “We don’t use it to create any assets that will be in the game.” That sounds pretty good. But gen-AI is a factor in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn’s development:
“We use it basically for trying out things on a technical level. For example, looking how a 2D image looks in 3D, or changing colours to what looks good. So it’s basically for being able to iterate faster. But we don’t use it to write, we don’t use AI voice actors, so everything that will be in the final version will definitely 100 percent be human made.”
Here’s the thing with that. Name a studio, and at this point, this is the best answer that you’re going to get. A close friend of mine has explained just how useful AI, even gen-AI, can be in pipeline matters. You can, as Popp notes, “iterate faster.” This is the golden sauce that so many publishers are locking into, and developers themselves are appreciating. When Square Enix said, just a few months back, that AI would become an important part of their games’ creation process, panic was widespread. We can only want and see, but the ideal here, at this point, is that it’ll be akin to what Owlcat is doing.
So, that’s the long and short of it. If Owlcat Games sticks to its claim, there’ll be no traces of generative AI when The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is in players’ hands. If there is, I’m sure they’re aware just how quickly it’ll be sleuthed; and, given the parameters that they themselves have established for themselves, it will undoubtedly be patched out. Real people are responsible for the construction of the actual assets that we’ll see, every one of them, so no terrifying Crimson Desert artwork leftovers will be the norm.
AAA Budgets Are Reportedly Exceeding $300 Million Or More
AAA game development budgets are beginning to sound ludicrous, with those in the US costing around $300 and more.
Osiris Reborn is available for pre-purchase right now, and if you buy Miller’s Pack version for $79.99 USD or the $289.99 USD (!!) Collector’s Edition, you’re eligible for the beta that kicks off on April 22. If you snag the Standard Edition for $49.99, I’m afraid you’re out of luck. “Doors and corners, kid.”
As IGN spotted, another hotbed issue was how The Expanse: Osiris Reborn will handle space travel. One of the best things about the books and show is how the universe is fairly realistic about all sorts of space science, including lengthy journeys from one part of the solar system to the next. This won’t be reflected in gameplay, but cutscenes will help to cover the gap:
“But talking about the passing of time on the ship, it is true that every journey in The Expanse universe takes days, even weeks, sometimes maybe months. We won’t be doing a time management mechanic in the game. I think it is excessive. But we will be showing it in terms of atmosphere and the ship. There will be some short cutscenes showing the life on the ship, how people communicate, eat their dinners, work out, and so on and so on, just to give you the immersion, the feeling of passing time on the ship.” -Game Design Director Leonid Rastorguev
I wouldn’t mind the slowness, but I doubt I speak for most prospective players. So, yeah. Works for me.
Sega’s New Persona Trademark Remains A Mystery Following Xbox Event No-Show
Persona 4 Revival didn’t appear at the Xbox Partner Preview, nor did anything regarding a new trademark for that matter.
