Pragmata Has Human-Made AI Assets To Give It An "Uncanny Feel" — And It's Intentional

Hey, Daily Quest readers.

Nobody likes generative AI in their video games. It's lazy, it's soulless, and it's easy to spot. But what if the villain of a game was an evil AI that created its own twisted, glitchy world? Would that make AI-generated art acceptable?

That's the question Capcom is asking with Pragmata — and the answer is fascinating. The game features an AI-generated version of New York filled with typical gen-AI errors. But here's the twist: it's all completely made by real human developers.

Creating "AI Slop" Is Harder Than You Think

In an interview with 4Gamer (via Automaton), Pragmata producer Naoto Oyama revealed that the dev team had to painstakingly craft the uncanny, unsettling feel of an AI-generated world — by hand.

"It mirrors reality, but its unique appeal comes from the setting errors and how they feel out of place, such as taxis sinking into floors, or buses sprouting from walls. Although the premise is that it is generated by AI, actually, our human developers painstakingly worked to incorporate mechanisms that express this AI-like uncanny feel."

So yes, humans are better at making AI slop than actual AI. The irony is delicious. 

The World Needs To Feel "Slightly Off"

Director Cho Yonghee explained that the goal was to create a version of New York that feels almost real but clearly distorted:

"For Pragmata, we set the premise as 'a fake New York generated by AI.' When familiar locations appear, players can relate more easily. On top of that, to make it clear that this isn't the real New York, we wanted something slightly distorted."

But there's a fine line. If the distortions are too extreme, players might think they're puzzles or hidden clues. If they're too subtle, the world just looks normal. Finding that balance was the challenge.

"Distortion is when something takes a shape that people have never seen before, and things unseen before are considered unique. But if the shapes are too unusual, players might think they're related to puzzles or that the terrain has some hidden meaning. Balancing distortion to be both unique and merely background was difficult."

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Final Thoughts

This is a brilliant example of how AI can be used thematically in games without relying on it as a development crutch. The devs are using the concept of AI generation to enhance the story and atmosphere — not to replace human artistry.

Do you think this is a clever use of AI themes, or does it still make you uneasy? Drop your take below! Stay questing — and follow @TheDailyQuest0 for more daily gaming quests! 🎮🤖🌆