@diatron5 I appreciate you taking the time to share your feelings, and I want to clarify our intentions.
RichCast is a no-code platform designed to empower creatives to build and distribute interactive titles without needing a programmer. How people choose to create their media – whether hand-drawn art, photography, audio recordings or generative tools – is entirely up to them. We don’t dictate that.
While developing the platform we also need to produce content ourselves, and for small experiments like Ghost Hunters we felt it was reasonable to use generative AI tools to reduce cost and time, especially as the title is completely free. That’s why I don’t recognise the idea that this was a “cash grab” – there simply isn’t any cash involved.
I understand that many creatives question the ethics of how some AI systems are trained. That’s a valid debate, and the companies behind those models should absolutely act within the law and uphold good moral standards. I’m not claiming to be an expert on those issues. What I do recognise is that the creative environment is changing rapidly, and Generative AI is not going to go away. Throughout our careers we’ve always adapted to new tools: programmers moved from assembler to higher-level languages, and artists moved from paint and canvas to Photoshop. Generative tools feel like the next step in that long progression. You don’t have to like that direction, but change is happening whether we embrace it or not.
As teenagers we created EasyArt and Panda Sprites to help other people make art and games. We used those tools ourselves to build many of the 8-bit titles that got us started. That success eventually allowed us to build a large studio employing many talented people and producing hundreds of games over many years. In many ways, what we’re doing with RichCast is simply a continuation of that original idea: creating tools that open up interactive creation to more people.
I understand you may not agree with our position, but I do appreciate you sharing your perspective. This will be my final comment on the thread, and I wish you well in your own creative work. Wishing you all the best, Philip
Thanks for taking the time to look at our new Ghost Hunters experiment. I completely understand why people feel strongly about generative AI, and I accept many of the flaws highlighted in the article. They're the same things we saw ourselves. This project was a quick test made by 5 creatives (non-programmers) wondering what could be achieved in a month, and it wasn't created to sit beside modern console titles or AAA productions. It's a test, we know it was flawed, so obviously we made it free.
RichCast itself doesn't use AI. It's a no-code platform that lets people structure their own interactive stories and simple 2D games, using whatever art, audio or video they choose. The goal is to let creatives build and publish interactive content without needing a programmer. It is an inconvenient truth that Programmers are unfortunately often bottlenecks for creatives, and we wanted to remove that barrier. Please note the RichCast editor will only be released to the public when we are happy with it and we know there's a lot more needs to be done before that can happen. We this lead to more AI Slop? Arguably yes. But we acknowledge that everyone has to start somewhere. People will need to learn the tools and the skills. Our early games were terrible - but through practice and effort our skills improved until our games got a whole lot better. Some of the early efforts were dreadful - we know!
A few people have said we're somehow drifting away from our legacy, but I don't feel that way at all. From the age of 12 we've always explored new technology as it appears. When we were young, being interested in computers made us geeks and out casts at school. Over time the environment changed and that same curiosity by us and others like us became the foundation of a whole industry. Technology keeps evolving, and like anything in nature, we either adapt to the new environment or we get left behind. For us, continuing to experiment and learn is exactly what we've always done.
It's also worth addressing the comparisons. Flash was never judged against PlayStation games, because it played a completely different role. It enabled lightweight multimedia experiences, browser games, educational titles and interactive storytelling on almost every desktop worldwide. RichCast sits in that same space, but rebuilt for today: no plugins, no coding, mobile-first, instantly shareable and future-proof. We're not trying to compete with high-budget 3D games. We're building a modern interactive media platform for people and organisations who need something accessible, affordable and easy to distribute across every smart screen.
I'm sympathetic to concerns about how generative AI affects creative industries. It will change workflows, just as every major technological shift has done. We can't change the environment. This small Ghost Hunters experiment used some of those AI tools, and like any new tools, it takes time and skill to get good results. We're learning, the tools are improving fast, and these quick tests help us understand how RichCast itself needs to evolve.
I genuinely appreciate the passion behind the article and the comments, even when they're critical. We'll keep improving, keep adapting and keep experimenting - exactly as we always have. Our output may not be for everyone - but that ok. We're not attempting to please everyone - just those that want what we can make.
Comments 2
Re: If The Oliver Twins' Ghost Hunters Is The Future Of GenAI Gaming, Then We Have Nothing To Worry About
@diatron5 I appreciate you taking the time to share your feelings, and I want to clarify our intentions.
RichCast is a no-code platform designed to empower creatives to build and distribute interactive titles without needing a programmer. How people choose to create their media – whether hand-drawn art, photography, audio recordings or generative tools – is entirely up to them. We don’t dictate that.
While developing the platform we also need to produce content ourselves, and for small experiments like Ghost Hunters we felt it was reasonable to use generative AI tools to reduce cost and time, especially as the title is completely free. That’s why I don’t recognise the idea that this was a “cash grab” – there simply isn’t any cash involved.
I understand that many creatives question the ethics of how some AI systems are trained. That’s a valid debate, and the companies behind those models should absolutely act within the law and uphold good moral standards. I’m not claiming to be an expert on those issues. What I do recognise is that the creative environment is changing rapidly, and Generative AI is not going to go away. Throughout our careers we’ve always adapted to new tools: programmers moved from assembler to higher-level languages, and artists moved from paint and canvas to Photoshop. Generative tools feel like the next step in that long progression. You don’t have to like that direction, but change is happening whether we embrace it or not.
As teenagers we created EasyArt and Panda Sprites to help other people make art and games. We used those tools ourselves to build many of the 8-bit titles that got us started. That success eventually allowed us to build a large studio employing many talented people and producing hundreds of games over many years. In many ways, what we’re doing with RichCast is simply a continuation of that original idea: creating tools that open up interactive creation to more people.
I understand you may not agree with our position, but I do appreciate you sharing your perspective. This will be my final comment on the thread, and I wish you well in your own creative work.
Wishing you all the best,
Philip
Re: If The Oliver Twins' Ghost Hunters Is The Future Of GenAI Gaming, Then We Have Nothing To Worry About
Thanks for taking the time to look at our new Ghost Hunters experiment.
I completely understand why people feel strongly about generative AI, and I accept many of the flaws highlighted in the article. They're the same things we saw ourselves. This project was a quick test made by 5 creatives
(non-programmers) wondering what could be achieved in a month, and it wasn't created to sit beside modern console titles or AAA productions. It's a test, we know it was flawed, so obviously we made it free.
RichCast itself doesn't use AI. It's a no-code platform that lets people structure their own interactive stories and simple 2D games, using whatever art, audio or video they choose. The goal is to let creatives build and publish interactive content without needing a programmer. It is an inconvenient truth that Programmers are unfortunately often bottlenecks for creatives, and we wanted to remove that barrier. Please note the RichCast editor will only be released to the public when we are happy with it and we know there's a lot more needs to be done before that can happen. We this lead to more AI Slop? Arguably yes. But we acknowledge that everyone has to start somewhere. People will need to learn the tools and the skills. Our early games were terrible - but through practice and effort our skills improved until our games got a whole lot better. Some of the early efforts were dreadful - we know!
A few people have said we're somehow drifting away from our legacy, but I don't feel that way at all. From the age of 12 we've always explored new technology as it appears. When we were young, being interested in computers made us geeks and out casts at school. Over time the environment changed and that same curiosity by us and others like us became the foundation of a whole industry. Technology keeps evolving, and like anything in nature, we either adapt to the new environment or we get left behind. For us, continuing to experiment and learn is exactly what we've always done.
It's also worth addressing the comparisons. Flash was never judged against PlayStation games, because it played a completely different role. It enabled lightweight multimedia experiences, browser games, educational titles and interactive storytelling on almost every desktop worldwide. RichCast sits in that same space, but rebuilt for today: no plugins, no coding, mobile-first, instantly shareable and future-proof. We're not trying to compete with high-budget 3D games. We're building a modern interactive media platform for people and organisations who need something accessible, affordable and easy to distribute across every smart screen.
I'm sympathetic to concerns about how generative AI affects creative industries. It will change workflows, just as every major technological shift has done. We can't change the environment. This small Ghost Hunters experiment used some of those AI tools, and like any new tools, it takes time and skill to get good results. We're learning, the tools are improving fast, and these quick tests help us understand how RichCast itself needs to evolve.
I genuinely appreciate the passion behind the article and the comments, even when they're critical. We'll keep improving, keep adapting and keep experimenting - exactly as we always have. Our output may not be for everyone - but that ok. We're not attempting to please everyone - just those that want what we can make.
Philip Oliver (one of The Oliver Twins)