The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, a highly anticipated video game, has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The game, developed by Daedalic Entertainment, has received criticism for its lackluster performance and various issues that plagued its development. Now, it has come to light that the apology for the game’s shortcomings was actually penned by an artificial intelligence (AI) program called ChatGPT.
Former staff members of Daedalic recently spoke out about the problems they encountered while working on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. According to sources, the apology was not written by Daedalic itself but by the game’s publisher, Nacon, and was generated using the AI program ChatGPT without the developers’ knowledge.
Paul Schulze, a former senior developer and technical director at Daedalic, shed light on the project’s challenges. He explained that despite having experienced and talented developers on board, the game suffered from a lack of funding, and simply pouring more money into it wouldn’t have solved the underlying issues.
One of the major complaints about The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was the unfinished animation of several characters and cutscenes which were hidden from players. Additionally, the game’s argument system, where Gollum and Sméagol engage in internal debates, was significantly scaled down from its original design, falling short of replicating the captivating conversations seen in the movies.
Released in May 2023, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum quickly gained a reputation as the lowest-rated game of the year thus far. However, the criticism surrounding the game goes beyond its underwhelming execution. The revelation of an AI-generated apology adds another layer of controversy to an already troubled project.
As the gaming industry continues to push the boundaries of technological advancements, the use of AI in different aspects of game development is becoming more prevalent. While AI can be a powerful tool, its unsupervised use, as seen in this case, can lead to unexpected consequences and ethical dilemmas.
It remains to be seen how the revelation of an AI-penned apology will affect the perception of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum among both critics and players. However, it serves as a reminder that the success of a game depends not only on financial support but also on the creative vision and expertise of its developers.
