During interviews with the well-known German gaming outlet, GameTwo, numerous former members of the Daedalic development team chose to openly discuss the array of challenges they grappled with during the creation of a licensed game that faced significant criticism. Following the release of the game centered around Gollum, Daedalic, the development company, took a proactive step by issuing a heartfelt apology. This statement not only acknowledged the subpar reception of the game but also conveyed a deep sense of regret for not meeting the expectations of their audience. Moreover, the company committed to proactively enhancing the overall gaming experience through a series of future updates.
In a surprising twist, recent reports have surfaced suggesting that the apology statement was actually generated using AI software, specifically ChatGPT. According to sources cited by GameTwo, the developer Daedalic had no prior knowledge of the apology or its content. This revelation implies that the entire process of managing and publishing the apology was exclusively handled by the overseeing entity, Nacon.
 Unfortunate Gaming Journey of Gollum, Missed Opportunities and Development Challenges
In the world of gaming, Gollum stands out as an unfortunate example of unmet potential and missed opportunities. At the time of its release, critics were unanimous in their disappointment, branding it the lowest-rated game of the year on both major aggregation platforms, Metacritic and OpenCritic. The esteemed publication, The Guardian, didn’t mince words, labeling the game as “a derivative, uninteresting, and fundamentally broken stealth action adventure that fails to capture anything interesting about Tolkien’s fiction.”
Interestingly, Gollum’s tumultuous development journey was marked by a modest budget of around 15 million Euros, a relatively paltry sum within the expansive landscape of AAA gaming in 2023. This financial constraint seemed to have hindered the creativity and execution of the project. Paul Schulze, a former senior developer and technical director at Daedalic, shed light on the challenges faced by the development team: “There were people working on the game that have been developers for 10, 15, 20 years, and they’re good, but they can’t do magic because they weren’t given the funds.”
Time proved to be another formidable adversary. The rush to meet the 2023 release deadline forced compromises in the game’s content and polish. Intriguing characters and cutscenes intended for animation were hastily hidden from the player’s view, leaving their potential untapped. For instance, a crucial scene meant to showcase Gollum eavesdropping on a pivotal conversation had to suffice with a makeshift solution, having Gollum merely look at a window while the audio played.
Perspective on AI-Generated Apologies in the Gaming Industry
The innovative argument system, designed to reflect Gollum’s internal struggle between his conflicting personalities, suffered a similar fate. Originally envisioned to mimic similar conversations in the films, the mechanics were significantly scaled down and replaced with a simplistic text-based interface. This departure from the initial vision left players with a less engaging experience, as they selected options from a bland menu while a lifeless Gollum character model hovered in the background.
Ultimately, Gollum serves as a cautionary tale in the gaming industry, highlighting the delicate balance between creative ambition and the realities of budget and time constraints. Despite the dedication and skills of the development team, the game was unable to soar to its potential due to these limitations.
Critics have voiced their concerns regarding the utilization of AI to craft an apology, contending that it comes across as impersonal and insincere. On the other hand, proponents argue that AI can serve as a valuable tool for generating text, and that the apology, regardless of its origins, was well-composed.
The event in question marks a significant moment, as it represents one of the first instances where a major gaming company employed AI to create public statements.
It’s important to highlight that the apology issued by the Gollum game developers has faced criticism for its vagueness and lack of specific details regarding the issues with the game and the developer’s plan for addressing them. Some speculate that using AI to write the apology may have contributed to these shortcomings.
