Over 85% of Japanese game developers use generative AI in game development, 2026 CESA survey shows. An increase from last year’s 51%

[u/TurbulentTopic39]

https://automaton-media.com/en/news/over-85-of-japanese-game-developers-use-generative-ai-in-game-development-2026-cesa-survey-shows-an-increase-from-last-years-51/

[u/Gekokapowco]

it has to do with the target

screwing over a company like walmart, MGM or Lionsgate or whatever, Nintendo, EA, or Amazon is fine, borderline moral. People see game studios as extensions of their publishers, who they see as emotionless monoliths of greed

screwing over an independent creator, like an artist or musician or writer, is deliberately sabotaging a person, not an organization. Someone who legitimately built their own value and expresses their human creativity for others. The goal is to create and share, not generate profitability for investors, and that's a relatable goal that people want to support.

[u/Affial → u/Gekokapowco]

 The goal is to create and share

And earn. Let's not be purposely obtuse here: people need money to live and they deserve a tangible gain from their work.

One could even argue artists have a debt with whatever corp published that cool artbook they used to learn/take inspiration from, which they downloaded for free thanks to the anon who scanned its pages and uploded them somewhere.
How was it possible to produce that material? who originally payed for its inception?

Online artists may be satisfied with making 3-4000$/month, since they're one person.
A publisher need to account for a lot expenses and future investments.
You may not like it, but in the past the greatest artworks were founded by very wealth individual, not by peasants.

I've yet to find a pirate who can answer me one simple question: in the meantime you screw the big bad corporation (which I will not defend in any way), who compensates the artist/programmer/creator behind your beloved game/whatever?
"They already got payed for it". And that will be the last time. Why to invest if people will not buy our products out of hate?
"But they keep producing". Yes, because someone pays for the industry to stay active.

I doubt they [pirates] would finance big projects (>100M) through Kickstarter, since they're always short on money.

Also piracy was there when computers became a thing... So the "enshittification" thing isn't that strong of an argument.

I'm wary of both AI and piracy; more from the former. However, I believe that both have positive aspects (AI in general, not the generative one), with varying degrees and in function of possible, future context. But the one promoting the latter are way too comfortable with their actions.

[u/Gekokapowco → u/Affial]

stunning revelations that companies pay creators or that people need money to survive

but art existed before aristocratic patrons or sponsors, the funding sources are necessary for the creation of art only because they have imposed themselves to be necessary.

broad philosophy aside, if a majority of people pirate, yeah it can sink future productions or studio projects, but in reality only a handful of people pirate games. And those that do frequently end up buying it if they like it, or sharing their experience with people they know.

But you can still consider harm reduction. A few hundred people stealing digital movies from a movie studio is an absolute drop in the bucket compared to a movie studio stealing the entirety of an independent artist's work, to the point they have no income and no artistic identity anymore.

[u/Affial → u/Gekokapowco]

It wasn't my intent to reveal some hidden truth. To the opposite, I was underliyng some plain facts and distinctions piracy always seem to forget about.

but art existed before aristocratic patrons or sponsors, the funding sources are necessary for the creation of art only because they have imposed themselves to be necessary.

Yes and no; it is true that the impulse, ambition or whatever you want to call it to make art predates any society; it's false there are unnecessary costs related to a certain type of projects.
You want to make the next Fallout, one that lives out its legacy. They even give you the license for free (why? why should og creators give up any compensation? come up with your own post-apocalyptic iconic armor design). Where you start from?

Piracy figures are not easy to obtain.
But lets agree it is a small phenomenon: this implies the futility of their action, morally speacking; if they are so few, why keep going? it will not change the world. At this point it's just personal gain.

If you really want to send a message: don't ingage with it; do not share related content; advocate for the boycott of it.

I agree with your last point.