Warframe developer Digital Extremes has pledged to never produce content using generative AI tools. Though Warframe has been Digital Extremes’ biggest success over the years by far, having garnered a substantial and loyal audience since 2013, the studio has worked on numerous other projects as well, the most prominent of which is the work-in-progress Soulframe action title.
Whereas Warframe remains Digital Extremes’ flagship sci-fi offering, Soulframe is going to branch out into a more lo-fi, medieval-adjacent direction while still using many of the design cues used by its predecessor. Celebrating its 13th anniversary on March 13, 2026, Warframe also launched on Switch 2 not long after, on March 25. The game is now available on a very wide range of devices, with iOS and Android phones joining the usual assortment of PC and console platforms.
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Digital Extremes Promises to Never Use Gen AI for Content Production in Warframe and Soulframe
In a recent interview with GameSpot, Digital Extremes Community Director Megan Everett said, “Nothing in our games will be AI-generated. Ever.” This statement came about as a conclusion to a segment where Everett spoke about being fooled by an AI-generated piece of art in one of her community showcase livestreams: “One time, someone made art of what looked like a Warframe Gundam, and I thought it was so cool, so I showed it. Immediately, everyone watching the stream clocked it, and I was devastated. It was so damn sneaky.” Warframe‘s eclectic art-style and content roster lends itself well to AI-based hallucinations, which makes it all the more important for Digital Extremes to drive home the point that the studio is entirely against using generative AI for the creation of art. “We are a very non-AI company and it is all humans making Warframe and Soulframe,” Everett said.
Whereas Warframe has a very loyal audience now that’s going to stick with the game almost no matter what, the same isn’t necessarily the case with Soulframe. By going out of its way to underline an AI-free approach to game development, Digital Extremes is showing what side of the discussion its team is sitting on. This is particularly relevant in the context of many other studios’ apparent reliance on generative AI where it might not be immediately apparent, as was the case with Crimson Desert‘s AI paintings.
As one of the oldest modern live-service games, Warframe has successfully leveraged its immense community goodwill time and again, and the fact that it’s not going to rely on generative AI for content production can only win it further favor with players. Even 13 years after its release, Warframe is still getting huge content updates that rework key aspects of the experience, whereas many other games of this type simply run out of steam as years go on.
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Generative AI tools appear to be a financially compelling option for game development from a certain point of view, but gamers and developers are pushing back against AI. It remains to be seen how far the adoption of tools like these will go over a long period of time, but there’s definitely going to be a niche for entirely human-made, AI-free content in gaming. Judging by Everett’s statements, Digital Extremes knows exactly what side of the discussion the studio is going to be on.
- Released
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March 25, 2013
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
