NVIDIA’s DLSS 5 has sparked massive controversy due to AI-generated visuals, with many players claiming character faces and details look unnatural after AI processing. However, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 developer Warhorse Studios co-founder and game director Daniel Vávra clearly sees things differently. He even stated that it is hilarious watching some players “lose their minds” over DLSS 5, comparing before-and-after shots from his own game, arguing that AI processing noticeably improves lighting, skin, hair, and details.
Problem Isn’t the Model — It’s the Game Engine’s Lighting?
Vávra says the “face changes” players see are not DLSS 5 secretly modifying character models, since the before-and-after comparisons use identical geometry. He believes the real difference comes from the game engine’s limitations in shadows, skin materials, and Normal Map details, and DLSS 5’s neural rendering simply repackages this information more completely. Simply put, his stance is: AI isn’t changing characters — AI is finally “exposing” details that were always there.
Every Developer Is Using AI
What really sparked player debate is Vávra’s view on AI in the industry. While a group of people really hates AI, almost every developer he has talked to is already using related tools, with many companies building their own AI tools for models, art, scripts, and more. He directly stated: “The most talented people” are often the ones most willing to use AI and see its potential. This naturally makes anti-AI players blood pressure spike.
Even Ray Tracing Could Be Replaced by AI!
In fact, Vávra publicly supported DLSS 5 months ago, believing future AI tech could even replace expensive Ray Tracing. He also thinks AI could shorten game development time — nobody wants a game taking ten years to make. But DLSS 5 remains controversial, especially since players have no consensus on whether AI is “improving visuals” or “altering artists’ original work.” Looks like this AI war will not end anytime soon.