Slay the Spire 2 is opting for intentionally "shit" placeholder art over generative AI solutions, a decision driven by the need to manage player expectations during its early access period. Mega Crit co-founder Casey Yano stated that "bad, human art" is preferable to AI-generated visuals that players might mistake for final assets, potentially leading to dissatisfaction.
As an early access title, Slay the Spire 2 relies heavily on player feedback to achieve the crucial balance in its deckbuilder roguelike gameplay. Yano emphasized that clearly incomplete art signals that the game is still under development, preventing players from judging it as a finished product. "It has to look like shit. It's important that it looks like shit," he explained.
Beyond managing expectations, the placeholder art also serves a functional purpose. Yano noted that assets must be legible enough to ensure the game is playable and that players can form an emotional connection with the content. Red boxes for relics, for instance, convey no information and detract from the player experience. However, the crudeness of the art also serves as a communication tool for the development team. Yano suggested that overly refined placeholder art might be misinterpreted by artists as the final intended design, whereas intentionally crude drawings act as a framework for their work.
The studio's choice reflects a broader concern within the gaming industry regarding the increasing use of generative AI. While Yano acknowledges the potential appeal of AI for rapid idea realization, he expresses a personal opposition as an artist. He believes generative AI bypasses the deliberate process of artistic development and style evolution, offering imitation rather than authentic expression.
"There's a very different mentality, right? [When] you write code, you're just trying to write code in the best way you can to achieve the objective that you want. There's an end goal that's definable. Art is not like that. It's an expression," Yano said. He further elaborated that AI art can appear dense, overly colorful, and distinct, often clashing with the established art style and appearing "lazy."
The placeholder art also injects personality and levity into Slay the Spire 2. Yano shared an anecdote about younger developers incorporating pop culture references, such as Among Us and SpongeBob, into their drawings, leading to humor. These instances, while potentially problematic for public-facing early access, highlight the "playfulness of development."
Mega Crit plans to continue this human-centric approach by potentially holding a community contest for fan-created monster art once the game's content is more solidified. However, they will explicitly prohibit AI-generated submissions to maintain the integrity of the contest and its celebration of human creativity. Yano expressed concern that participants might bypass rules or use AI, undermining the intention behind encouraging "silly, bad, very human art."
As an independent studio, Mega Crit is unburdened by the need to appease investors who might push for AI integration. Yano believes that studios aligning with AI often do so to secure funding. "We have no one to placate," he stated. "We just make games for people in the way that we think is the best, and [in] the way that people will like them the most." He concluded that using generative AI as a placeholder would be an "insane risk" with no apparent business sense.
While Mega Crit is against generative AI for art, they are not entirely opposed to AI tools. Some programmers utilize AI for code reviews, and Yano uses it as an advanced thesaurus. However, generative AI for artistic expression is a line the studio will not cross, prioritizing human intention and the narrative embedded within the development process itself.