A managerial discourse that is not well received

The "Open Adopters": AI as a Marketing Asset

A key moment came in 2024 when Electronic Arts (EA) CEO Andrew Wilson publicly stated that generative AI could eventually impact and automate up to 60% of the studio's development processes, particularly in the creation of animations and environments.
Sources :
PCMag : EA Embraces AI, Says 60% of Its Game Development Could Be Impacted
Game Developer : EA CEO: 60 percent of dev processes could be 'impacted by generative AI'

Students' Concerns
Across social media and in discussions about the future of creative careers, some students studying 3D art, animation, and concept art have voiced recurring concerns:
"Why should we invest tens of thousands of dollars in our education if the very tools being promoted today could eventually automate some of the tasks we are training to perform?"
➔ Read also Why is it still important to invest in a 4-year video game degree in 2026?

Others raise a related question:
"How will recent graduates gain access to their first jobs if some of the entry-level tasks that traditionally helped launch careers become increasingly automated?"
➔ Read also Which jobs remain stable with AI ?

AI's Public Image Under Pressure

EA's public statements contributed to reinforcing, among some members of the public and future graduates, the perception that AI could pose a threat to certain jobs within the industry.

This perception emerged during a period marked by widespread layoffs across the video game sector, particularly in the United States. While these workforce reductions were generally attributed to broader economic conditions and post-pandemic market adjustments rather than AI adoption itself, they nonetheless fueled concerns about the future of employment in game development.
In summary, EA seems to have wanted to pull a PR stunt with its shareholders, telling them, "We're laying people off not because we're doing badly, but because we're going to generate more revenue for our company by replacing them with AI.”

This highlights an important reality:
AI is not the same lever for a large publisher as it is for an indie studio.
Analyzing the differences between these two worlds helps us understand why motivations regarding AI can vary considerably within the industry.

The table below presents some of the main distinctions between large publishers and independent studios

Since 2024, EA has made significant efforts to move beyond this caricatured image

EA Originals
Aware of its reputation as a large, "soulless" corporation, EA expanded initiatives such as EA Originals. The goal was to support independent studios while allowing them to retain substantial creative control over their projects and intellectual property. Successful titles such as It Takes Two and Unravel illustrate this approach, which seeks to combine the resources of a major publisher with the creative independence traditionally associated with smaller studios.