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Microsoft has created a playable “interactive space inspired” by Quake II using AI, and it’s sparked a vociferous debate online.
As spotted by PC Gamer, the demo is powered by Microsoft’s recently announced Muse and the World and Human Action Model (WHAM) AI system, and “can dynamically create gameplay visuals and simulate player behavior in real-time,” which means a semi-playable environment has been generated entirely through AI and without an in-game engine.
“In this real-time tech demo, Copilot dynamically generates gameplay sequences inspired by the classic game Quake II,” Microsoft explained. “Every input you make triggers the next AI-generated moment in the game, almost as if you were playing the original Quake II running on a traditional game engine. Enjoy the experience, share your thoughts, and help shape the future of AI-powered gameplay experiences.
“This bite-sized demo pulls you into an interactive space inspired by Quake II, where AI crafts immersive visuals and responsive action on the fly. It’s a groundbreaking glimpse at a brand new way of interacting with games, turning cutting-edge research into a quick and compelling playable demo.”
All that sounds pretty impressive, but the demo itself is… well, less so.
After The Game Awards boss Geoff Keighley shared a brief video of the demo in action on X / Twitter, hundreds of people responded, with few having anything positive to say.
Microsoft has created an AI-generated replica of Quake II that you can play in browser.
“Every frame is created on the fly by an AI world model.”
Play it here:https://t.co/WGQymDOmsj pic.twitter.com/35MX5aHPbF
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) April 5, 2025
“Man, I don’t want the future of games to be AI-generated slop,” said one Redditor. “There will be a point where it will be easier to use AI, and then all the greedy studios will do it exclusively. The human element will be removed.
“And the worst part is gamers will buy it. They buy skins for 100 dollars. They will buy whatever you sell them.”
“Microsoft’s boast that they want ‘to build a whole catalog of games that use this new AI model,’ despite it not being clear if the current technique will ever even be capable of letting you turn around without moving to a random point on the map let alone come up with an original game, really typifies what’s wrong with AI and the tech industry,” added another.
“I had a better experience literally just imagining the game in my head,” said another commenter.
Not everyone was so quick to dismiss it, however.
“I don’t know why everything has to be doom and gloom,” said a more cheery respondent. “It’s a demo for a reason. It shows the future possibilities. Having an AI that is able to create a coherent and consistent world is crazy. But this cannot be used to create a full game or anything enjoyable. You cannot play this. Seems like a tool for early concept/pitching phase. This can also bring improvement in other fields in AI as what it is doing is impressive.
“This is not even a product yet but a demo showing how much they’ve improved from just a few months ago.”
Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney had a rather different response:
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) April 5, 2025
Generative AI is one of the hottest topics within the video game and entertainment industries, which have both suffered massive layoffs in recent years. It has drawn criticism from players and creators due to a mix of ethical issues, rights issues, and AI’s struggles to produce content audiences actually enjoy. For instance, Keywords Studios attempted to create an experimental game internally using entirely AI. The game failed, with Keywords citing to investors that AI was “unable to replace talent.”
Still, that hasn’t put off a number of video game companies from using generative AI in the development of their products. Activision recently disclosed the use of generative AI for some Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 assets as part of new requirements on Steam, amid a backlash to an “AI slop” zombie Santa loading screen.
And last month, Horizon actor Ashly Burch addressed a controversial AI Aloy video that leaked online, using it to call attention to the demands of striking voice actors.
Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
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