Fans mock Microsoft's unplayable AI Quake II remake in Copilot

The use of AI to make video games is already causing controversy, and Microsoft knows that. Minecraft, which it owns the rights to, was copied for the AI-generated game Oasis last year. But now Microsoft is joining in with an experiment of its own: starting with an AI remake of Quake II in Copilot.

The 'Copilot Gaming Experience' is an AI-made imitation of Quake II made using Microsoft's World and Human Action MaskGIT Model (WHAMM) model. And despite the purported technical advances, it quickly falls apart if you try to play it (see our guide to the best game development software if you want to make a game the traditional way).

In its research blog, Microsoft says WHAMM can generate "consistent and diverse gameplay sequences and persist user modifications" while "every frame is created on the fly by an AI world model."

But while the AI-generated 'gaming experience' may look like Quake II initially, the functionality isn't there. And as for that consistency,... erm. Look down and then up again and you find you're in a completely different place.

Quake II fans are not impressed. "Microsoft will literally do anything but develop real video games," one person wrote on X. "This is just a regurgitation of quake 2. A game that can be played on almost anything (far better). This isn’t a new experience or preservation. It’s just bastardization." another fan wrote.

WHAMM is part of Microsoft's Muse family of world models for video games. To be fair, the AI Quake II is not intended as a final product but as a research project and a demonstration of the tech's potential.

The company recognises that WHAMM cannot "fully replicate the actual experience of playing the original Quake II game" and that the project is "intended to be a research exploration of what we are able to build using current ML approaches". It says it wants to highlight how "future models could be improved, enabling new kinds of interactive experiences and empowering game creators to bring to life the stories they wish to tell."

But it's hardly selling the potential for all-out AI-generated games when the inconsistencies and hallucinations make them unplayable interpretations of video recordings (Microsoft doesn't clarify if it trained its model on real Quake II footage, but it looks likely).

"You can play Quake on a calulator. Why are you doing this in the most resource intensive way possible?" one person commenting on X wonders.

Meanwhile, the game studio Team Kill Media doesn't see AI as taking over from developers yet. It wrote on x: "AI tools can be a great thing to help people be more productive if used correctly and can even help with learning, but I do not believe this will ever work like this nor should it.

"The concept of producing a game solely with generative AI is terrible. Human touch, artistry, direction, imagination and vision needs to always be present, otherwise it will just be soulless imitation."

You can 'play' the AI Quake II via Copilot. What do you think? A valid exploration of state-of-the-art AI or pointless waste of time? Let us know in the comments.