Owlcat Games uses generative AI in The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, but the release version will be made by humans

Owlcat Games confirmed that it uses generative AI in the development of The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. The main caveat sounds harsh: the final version of the science fiction role-playing action game, according to the studio, will be completely made by people.

What the studio confirmed

We are talking about The Expanse: Osiris Reborn — a new game by Owlcat Games, a Cypriot studio with Russian roots. The project is described as a science fiction role-playing action game with notable influences from Mass Effect, so it has already attracted considerable attention from fans of story-driven RPGs. Against this backdrop, any discussion of generative AI automatically goes beyond a typical production detail and becomes a matter of trust: what exactly does the machine do, and what remains with the authors.

The fact of confirmation itself is also important. Many teams prefer to speak about AI as vaguely as possible or not raise the topic at all until public controversy erupts. Owlcat chose a different path and directly acknowledged the use of the technology in the development process.

This does not answer all questions, but makes the discussion much more concrete: the subject of conversation is no longer whether AI was used at all, but where the line is drawn between an auxiliary tool and the finished product.

Where the line is drawn

The key part of the statement is the promise that the release version will be "100% made by human hands." The available formulation does not reveal a complete list of tasks where the studio engages generative AI, so it is too early to draw far-reaching conclusions. But the structure itself is clear: technologies are allowed within the production process, and Owlcat leaves responsibility for the final result to the team.

That is, it is essentially not about transferring authorship to the model, but about the tool's auxiliary role. This emphasis is important because it is the release content that raises the most questions from the audience. Players are usually not concerned with the abstract presence of a neural network in the pipeline, but with more concrete things: who made the final illustrations, who wrote the texts, who assembled the quests, who made the creative decisions, and whether the game can be considered the studio's original work.

Owlcat's formulation is an attempt to preemptively cut off the most contentious scenario, where AI is associated with replacing specialists rather than internal auxiliary automation.

"100% made by human hands."

Why this is an important signal

For the gaming industry, such a position looks like a compromise model that could satisfy both business and part of the audience. Studios are looking for ways to speed up pre-production, test ideas, and unload routine stages, but at the same time fear reputational loss if players decide that the final product is assembled from machine templates. Owlcat's statement shows that the market is gradually moving toward a more divided approach: one thing is experimentation within the team, another is what ultimately ends up in the release.

• Generative AI is increasingly viewed as an internal tool rather than the author of final content.
• A clear public boundary reduces the risk of scandal around the quality and origin of game materials.
• For the team, it is a way to maintain creative responsibility for the release without abandoning new tools.
• For players, it is a signal that the studio understands the sensitivity of the topic and is trying to establish the rules in advance.

At the same time, this approach still needs to be proven by action. As long as the audience does not have a finished game in hand, the promise remains a promise, not a proven production standard. But it is already clear that the industry is entering a phase where a simple "we use AI" no longer works. It becomes necessary to explain at what stage, to what extent, and with what limitations the technology is applied — otherwise players, the press, and social networks will do it for the studio.

What this means

The story around The Expanse: Osiris Reborn shows that the main question is no longer the fact of using generative AI itself, but the boundaries of its application. If Owlcat really keeps all release content with people, this could become a working formula for other studios: accelerate internal processes without blurring the authorship of the final product.