Destructoid Checkpoint: Team Green is just Team Mean

After daring to engage in a little positivity last week, the industry has been serving absolute dross, bringing bile to the back of my throat and a flush to my cheeks. Let’s wade in and sniff out the problems.

DLSS 5 is NVIDIA’s latest power play for computational supremacy

NVIDIA continues to be really weird by unveiling DLSS 5. The original dream of needing minimal computational power to render games at lower resolutions and then accurately upscaling them via less intensive methods is essentially dead, as DLSS 5 is all about destroying a scene's lighting to slap what looks like a bad AI filter over the image.

This is not a mistake either; the stated aim of DLSS 5 is to enhance lighting and material surfaces while retaining the game's intended style. While it may not be fair, I associate the rise of DLSS and similar upscalers, which I was previously excited about, with a general decline in optimization across the industry. 

I shudder to think of the impact of both lighting and materials being offloaded to an AI as well. More than that, it’s another step by NVIDIA toward becoming a foundational element of game production, an unavoidable link in the chain. The more companies buy into their little black boxes, the more reliant publishers and developers become on their brand features, and the worse it grows for the competition. 

Why is this an issue? NVIDIA has not shown itself to be a worthy steward of the industry or artistry of gaming. I don’t need to delve into the company’s past; I can just refer to the recent prioritization of the AI industry over gaming-focused consumers. NVIDIA does not have the best interest of the average gamer at heart, and are doing their best to bring the industry to a future where you have little choice but to rent computational power from them because their AI features are so heavily embedded in the production of games that you cannot hope to run them on your own, and you have no way to purchase the cards that will, as that will no longer be available at a consumer price point. 

This is not a future that anybody should be eager to see.

Are you smarter than a CEO?

A good lawyer should stop you from walking into a terrible legal gaffe that makes you look like a total dumbass. This is something of a basic service that most of them will offer, and while it’s not something that they advertise, it’s sort of implied when you pay the retainer fees. 

The good news for people who don’t mind looking like a dummy is that GhatGPT will simply warn you once, then assist you in making whatever costly legal mistakes you like. Or at least, this appears to be the case for Kragton CEO Changham Kim.

Per court documents, it seems that ChatGPT was used by Kim to figure out how to avoid a substantial $250 million payout to key leaders at Unknown Worlds, the developers of Subnautica 2. While the AI at first said such a thing would be difficult, it eventually suggested a kind of rogues’ gallery be assembled in an effort to renegotiate the deal or take over Unknown Worlds. 

What makes this even more hilarious is that Kim ignored the counsel of the actual Krafton legal team, who had told him that even if such a thing as “dismissal with cause” were to occur, it wouldn't mean that they didn’t have to pay previously agreed and legally enshrined compensations. He was also told that the entire venture would lead to both a lawsuit and reputational risk. 

Now the Unknown Worlds CEO is back in charge of the company, and the judge also ruled that they would have an extended period in which to meet the earnout criteria. 

Stunning stuff by the Krafton CEO, it has to be said. 

Ubsifoft continues to shrink

Ubisoft has announced the loss of another 105 jobs, this time with the end of game development at the North Carolina-based Red Storm Entertainment. The remaining staff will focus on supporting the company's in-house Snowdrop engine instead. The studio opened 30 years ago, and was somewhat caught up in Ubisoft’s ill-fated plans for VR and The Division.

It’s just another sign that Ubisoft is not quite finished struggling to “right-size,” and, unfortunately, 105 more people are entering the jobs market in an already crowded industry. 

One of the more worrisome aspects of a fan of games right now is just how much brain drain we have endured over the last few years. The gaming industry has always been tough, with the idea that “you get to work on games” being used to cover up the fact that you would be treated better, both emotionally and financially, as a developer in nearly any other industry.

Were I to enter my grumpy old man stage, I would perhaps go on a rant that we have seen a loss of skill, talent, and verve in many games recently, but it’s hard to do that and not have it come across as an insult to the developers we do have, who are skilled, and talented, and er…vervacious. 

I think it is, perhaps, just difficult to watch this continued impact and wonder when it will stop, especially as the average consumer continues to have their cost of living squeezed. Spending on entertainment will only continue to fall among younger people who once again find themselves buying with longevity firmly in mind. 

It’s hard to escape the idea that it is all part of the same squeeze, and that eventually, something has to give.

What are you doing, Destructoid?

Crimson Desert developer Pearl Abyss may have fallen foul of Steam’s AI disclosure rules. Andrej Barovic has all the information you need. - “Though one of the most beautiful and breathtaking games I’ve played in a long time, Crimson Desert seems to have fallen afoul of the undisclosed use of generative AI.”

Tiago Manuel, like many of us, is on the back foot over DLSS5, but likes the way the internet has rallied to make fun of it. - “The update feels less like something carefully engineered by the best minds of a generation to look as off-putting as possible. DLSS 5 perfectly proves Enshittification Theory is real and that the world of tech, consumer products, and video games might be about to get even more dystopian, so let’s look at the funniest reaction on the Internet to try and get a breather.”

Drew Kopp is happy to see the return of a particular villain to a beloved gaming franchise. - “Sonic the Hedgehog is a weird series. The franchise was off the hook from the start, and has veered in psychotic directions since then, driving some fans to quit SEGA’s mascot cold turkey. But recently, things have changed, and it’s all thanks to Ian Flynn.”

And that’s it for this week!