GAMESLASHFormer Naughty Dog Artist Wonders Whether AI Will Make Human-Crafted AAA Games a Rarity
By GameSlash
Ex-Naughty Dog VFX artist Matt Radford likens games such as Intergalactic and Uncharted to intricate historical buildings, questioning how AI and budgets may reshape human-led game development.
Former Naughty Dog VFX artist Matt Radford has suggested that future players might look back on labour-intensive games such as Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, The Last of Us and Uncharted 4 with the same awe people feel toward intricate historical architecture. His remarks, reported October 12, 2026, come from an interview on Kiwi Talkz about the evolution of AAA game production. These are Radford's opinions, not a statement of Naughty Dog's current AI policy.
Why compare games with historical architecture?
Radford invoked ambitious old buildings such as Cologne Cathedral to suggest that future technology and economic realities could change what people are willing to make by hand. The analogy is about the many artists, actors, technical specialists and developers contributing to ambitious games; it does not mean those jobs have already disappeared, or that all future games will be generated by AI.
What the artist actually worked on
Radford is a veteran VFX artist whose credits include The Last of Us and Uncharted 4. Intergalactic is a current Naughty Dog project he cited as an example of a modern creative ambition; the interview does not establish that he worked on the new game. Its release date remains to be confirmed by PlayStation.
AI, budgets and the shape of AAA games
Radford speculated that generative AI, shifting budgets and the desire to reduce production risk might eventually change the scale and makeup of teams. He has also spoken about wanting more focused, shorter games rather than only enormous releases. These are forecasts and preferences from an experienced developer, not evidence that an industry-wide transition has been measured.
At the same time, the interview raises a substantive design question: if AI can automate parts of asset preparation and iteration, how will studios protect distinctive human decisions about story, gameplay feel, performance and art direction? Comparing future products with classic games should not erase the many forms of human creativity still involved.
Interview coverage: GamesRadar, October 12
Related interview context: Radford on shorter game formats
Official game information and visuals: Naughty Dog's Intergalactic announcement