{"slug": "palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want", "title": "Palworld publishing lead says the devs avoid using AI because “gamers don’t want it” – end of conversation", "summary": "Palworld publishing lead John 'Bucky' Buckley stated that the developers avoid using generative AI because gamers do not want it, calling the matter a closed conversation. In an interview with GamesRadar+, Buckley argued that AI art is low-effort and unnecessary, and expressed skepticism about the longevity of generative AI in gaming.", "body_md": "👋\nNewsletters\nSubscribe to our newsletters\nSign up for our free, weekly newsletter!\nSubscribe\nBy signing up, you acknowledge our\nprivacy policy\nand may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.\nLeave this field empty if you're human:\nPC Guide\nSearch\nComputing\nGaming PC\nTablet PC\nLaptop\nDesktop Computer\nComponents\nGPU\nCPU\nMotherboard\nRAM\nPC Case\nCooling\nPower Supplies (PSU)\nHDD\nSSD\nNetworking & Peripherals\nRouter\nModem\nNAS\nWiFi\nComputer Chair\nMonitor\nKeyboard\nMouse\nComputer Microphone\nHeadset\nComputer Desk\nWebcam\nElectronics\nConsole\nFitness & Tech\nRaspberry Pi\n3D Printer\nTV\nProjector\nVR\nSmart Home\nPrinter\nSoftware\nMicrosoft Office\nWindows 10\nWindows 11\nAndroid\niOS\nApps\nSoftware Downloads\nInternet Safety\nFlight Simulator\nAI\nGuides\nHow To\nCompare\nFAQs\nFeatured\nReview\nNews\nDeals\nPrime Day\nTools\n\n```\nHome > News \n\nPalworld publishing lead says the devs avoid using AI because “gamers don’t want it” – end of conversation\n\n                            Palworld is finally leaving early access next month                    \n\nJack Goodall\n\n \n\nLast Updated on June 19, 2026  \n\n        PC Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More\n\nTable of Contents \n\nPalworld devs are happy to work without relying on AI\nEarly Prime Day deals\nPrime Day is coming — don’t miss the deals\n\nWe doubt that discussion of generation AI in gaming is going away anytime soon, and the latest person to chime in on the debate is John “Bucky” Buckley, the head of publishing and communications at Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld. According to Bucky, the solution is simple – just don’t use AI – because “gamers don’t want it” and it’s not strictly essential for devs.\nPalworld took the gaming world by storm (and attracted Nintendo’s lawyers) when it released into early access in 2024. The Pokémon-inspired open-world title has been much quieter since its initial boom, but the developers are quickly approaching their version 1.0 release on July 10. The update is said to be so big that the number of changes will shock you.\n\nSign up for our free, weekly newsletter!\n\nSubscribe\n\nBy signing up, you acknowledge our privacy policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Leave this field empty if you’re human: \n\nPalworld devs are happy to work without relying on AI\nIn a recent chat with GamesRadar+, speaking on the topic of generative AI, Buckley plainly claims that “Gamers don’t want it”. “And if the gamers don’t want it, I guess that’s it, right? Not much of a conversation to be had,” he added. That essentially demonstrates his opinion on the matter in a nutshell, though there are multiple facets of AI to consider.\n\nEarly Prime Day deals\nPrime Day is almost here, and we've found all the best early deals on tech and gaming.\n\n        AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D - was $479 now $449\n\n        Samsung 32\" Odyssey G55C - was $329 now $189\n\n        Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Essentials Bundle - was $306.27 now $172.97\n\n        Hisense 100\" U7 Mini-LED - was $4,499 now $2,797\n\n        Skytech Gaming King 95 Gaming PC - was $3,699 now $3,499\n\nPrices correct as of June 18th on Amazon.com.\n\nMore than 1,700 games in Steam’s Next Fest this month come with a generative AI warning, and painfully obvious AI art assets on store pages simply aren’t appealing. He’s less certain about the future of AI-assisted code, but the publishing lead suggests AI art is low-effort. “I think people will look at it and say, ‘Did you need to do that?’ Couldn’t you just do it yourself?,” he said.\n\n“I’m sure some people are doing it. It’s not really for us. I personally can’t imagine it ever being too prominent. I’m sure there are some companies out there, some big companies, that are maybe using it to save time. I don’t know. I don’t really think gen AI has much – I don’t want to call it a bubble, but I don’t know how much longer it’s gonna keep up. Even Steam is pushing back a certain amount on it.”\nJohn “Bucky” Buckley, Communications Director & Publishing Manager at Pocketpair\n\nBuckley says Pocketpair has “a lot of artists in-house,” so there’s no need to rely on AI to pick up any slack. He says the artists working on Palworld “like doing stuff themselves,” adding that “there’s no reason to get rid of them for the sake of an AI doing it; just seems pointless”. Some markets are more willing to experiment, but he predicts gamers will remain against it “for a while”.\n\nPrime Day is coming — don’t miss the deals\n\n      Get ready for exclusive savings with Prime.\nAges 18–24 can get a 6-month Prime trial for $0\n\n      Start your Prime trial →\n    \n\nHe has previously discussed the idea of being ‘100% human-made’ as a marketing ploy, though he says “it’s a bit dystopian that it might end up like that”. He probably just prefers the pride of not needing an AI warning on Palworld’s Steam store page.\n\n    922Would you buy a bare bones Steam Machine?Would you buy a variant of the Steam Machine with no RAM and/or no SSD and install them separately to help save on costs?     No, I want the Steam Machine to be complete     Yes, I would buy a RAM-less version     Yes, I would buy an SSD-less version     I'd buy a bare bones version with neither component         \n\nAbout the Author\n\nJack Goodall\n\n \n\nAt PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.\n\nLoad More\n\nYou can trust PC Guide\n\nOur team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.\n\n Follow us\n\nTable of Contents \nPalworld devs are happy to work without relying on AI \n\nRelated Articles\n\n \n\nToday’s Wordle answer, hints and clues on June 20 (#1827)\n\nLast Updated Jun 19, 2026· by Jack Goodall\n\n \n\nSony confirms PS5 and PC are still “the standard” platforms for live-service PlayStation games\n\nLast Updated Jun 19, 2026· by Abdul Haddi\n\n \n\nGodot Engine devs confirm day-one support for Steam Frame this summer in major “4.7 Director’s Cut” update\n\nLast Updated Jun 19, 2026· by Jack Goodall\n\n \n\n“Clunky” Epic Games Launcher is getting a “Ground-up rebuild” that promises to be at least 5x faster\n\nLast Updated Jun 19, 2026· by Abdul Haddi\n\nAbout Us\nContact\nEarnings Disclaimer\nPrivacy Policy\nSitemap\n \n\nOur Sites:\n\nBlack Friday TV Deals\nPC Builder\nMovies Like\n \n\nCopyright © 2026 PC Guide. All rights reserved.\n\n​\n```\n\n", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want", "canonical_source": "https://www.pcguide.com/news/palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want-it-end-of-conversation/", "published_at": "2026-06-19 15:37:17+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-19 16:06:36.555732+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai", "ai-ethics", "ai-policy"], "entities": ["Pocketpair", "John Buckley", "Palworld", "GamesRadar+", "Steam", "Nintendo"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/palworld-publishing-lead-says-the-devs-avoid-using-ai-because-gamers-dont-want.jsonld"}}