A Veteran’s Perspective on the AI Wave
In a new interview with IGN, former Santa Monica Studio product development director Meghan Morgan Juinio — who worked on multiple God of War titles during her decade-long tenure — shared her candid thoughts on the rise of generative AI tools in game development.
“If developers don’t actively embrace AI, they’re only limiting themselves,” Juinio said.
“AI is just a tool — it can enhance developers’ abilities. Whether we like it or not, it will keep evolving, so I’d rather be at the forefront, guiding how it’s used correctly.”
Juinio’s comments come amid ongoing debates in the games industry over whether AI represents empowerment or disruption. While many creatives fear the technology’s potential to replace human labor, she sees it as an inevitable evolution that must be shaped, not resisted.
Comparing AI to SpeedTree and Motion Capture
Juinio drew parallels between AI adoption today and the early skepticism surrounding SpeedTree — the automatic vegetation-generation software first used in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2002).
“Twenty years ago, artists resisted SpeedTree and hybrid motion-capture animation,” she recalled.
“Animators feared these tools would kill hand-drawn animation. But now those technologies are industry standards.”
According to Juinio, generative AI is undergoing a similar trajectory: first met with fear and resistance, then gradually normalized as its creative potential becomes clearer.
“The AI Era Has Already Begun”
Despite the controversy, Juinio maintains a positive outlook:
“The AI era is already here,” she said. “As leaders in the games industry, we need to ask not just ‘Can AI do this?’ but also ‘Should AI do this?’”
Her comment highlights the importance of ethical frameworks and transparency as studios incorporate AI into workflows, including level design, asset generation, and localization.
AI Can’t Fix the Game Industry’s Core Challenges
While she advocates for responsible adoption, Juinio doesn’t see AI as a magic solution to the rising costs and volatility of AAA development.
“AI won’t solve the problem of studio closures or the industry bubble,” she cautioned.
“Games are about fun — scale and graphics aren’t everything. At least for now, AI can’t replace the magic of a God of War-level experience.”
In her view, creativity, emotion, and craftsmanship remain at the heart of successful game design, even as automation becomes more common.
About Santa Monica Studio
Founded in 1999 and based in Los Angeles, California, Santa Monica Studio is one of Sony’s premier first-party developers. The studio created the Kinetica engine and is best known for the critically acclaimed God of War series — a franchise that continues to define PlayStation’s creative identity.
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