Pragmata developers have revealed that human developers “painstakingly worked” to provide the AI-like feel to New York.
Capcom announced earlier this month that Pragmata will be released a week early, now arriving on April 27 for Xbox Series X/S, PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and PC. The title also has a demo that players can try out right now. Ahead of the release, the developer has provided insights into the game’s New York City and how they made it look AI-generated.
Pragmata Devs Created Intentional ‘AI Errors’ For the New York Stage
During a new interview with 4Gamer (via Automaton), Pragmata’s director, Cho Yonghee, and producer Naoto Oyama discussed how they intentionally made New York look AI-generated. The director stated that the stage premise was “a fake New York generated by AI”. Yonghee explained that familiar locations make it easy for players to relate, but they wanted “to make it clear that this isn’t the real New York” and desired “something slightly distorted”.
Oyama elaborated that the game’s New York “mirrors reality”, but players will see that the unique appeal arrives through “setting errors” and how things might feel out of place, such as taxis sinking into floors, or buses sprouting from walls. However, even though the premise was generative AI, developers “painstakingly worked to incorporate mechanisms that express this AI-like uncanny feel.”
The director mentioned that Pragamta’s New York includes carefully crafted, balanced “AI errors” to avoid distracting players. He discussed the fine line between shapes that appear unique and those that become too unusual to be perceived as puzzles. Achieving the right balance between distinctiveness and mere background elements was a challenge for the team.
There are other cities in the game as well, but they are “somewhere else on earth”. Even the New York stage isn’t a 1:1 reproduction of the real New York City and draws inspiration from a “mix of various cultures, like Madrid or Seoul”.
In other news, Capcom plans to use AI but will not implement generative AI materials in game content. Additionally, Saudi Arabia’s Electronic Gaming Development Company has acquired a 5% stake in Capcom. What are your thoughts on Pragmata devs making New York look AI-generated intentionally? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Probably was once again Capcom lying on AI use to appease a bunch of entitled 40 year old losers. If it’s not shows how stupid they are they could have cut costs using AI. Capcom full of flops MH Wilds, Dead Rising remake, Dragons Dogma 2, Path Of The Goddess, Exoprimal, Marvel collection, probably SF6 and burden from Capcom cup.