Baldur’s Gate 3 Publishing Director Blasts Square Enix’s ‘Stupid’ AI Plans for QA

The publishing director for Larian Studios, the developer of Baldur’s Gate 3, has slammed Final Fantasy developer, Square Enix’s, hopes of achieving 70% of QA and debugging through automated AI by 2027. On X, Michael Douse (a.k.a. Cromwelp) responded to videogameschronicle’s article about Square Enix’s ambition and lambasted it as “stupid”.

Cromwelp said, “QA are some of the most video games engaged people in any company,” and they are integral to community teams as well as publishing because “They give you real feedback”. The publishing director added, “They know what is good and what is bad before the audience does, and they are the most resilient department”.

Further elaborating, Cromwelp said, “AI and automation is clearly integral to QA for any large scale game but the idea that QA people can be replaced at a large scale is stupid because it supposes that the conversations with them can be replaced and they can’t”.

Finally, the publishing director argued “QA is not an inherently entry-level job,” but it is a way into game development and “without gateways to the industry you won’t find your lead designers”. Cromwelp believes Square Enix is following a “stupid path” as studios should “want to be able to offer people beneficial positions that allow them to grow and help to grow you”.

Sigh. So QA are some of the most video games engaged people in any company. They are integral to your community teams. To publishing. They give you the real feedback. They know what is good and what is bad before the audience does, and they are the most resilient department. https://t.co/1oDxiY6mkk

— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) November 6, 2025

Final Fantasy Developer Aims to ‘Automate 70% of QA and Debugging by the End of 2027’

A Square Enix presentation was recently shared for the company’s Progress Report on the Medium-Term Business Plan (FY2025/3 – FY2027/3). The slides discuss how Square Enix are in a rebuilding phase, but it’s the publisher’s AI ambitions that have caused the most noise.

As reported by VGC, Square Enix has partnered with the Matsuo-Iwasawa Laboratory at the University of Tokyo which is “aimed at improving the efficiency of game development processes through AI technologies”. The partnership and project is titled Joint Development of Game QA Automation Technology Using Generative AI, and the aim is for Square Enix to “automate 70% of QA and debugging tasks in game development by the end of 2027”.

Beyond automated QA, Square Enix’s presentation says they are in a three-year rebooting phase, and some of their key plans moving forward include “Release of multiple new titles and multi-platform titles” as well as “launch of several large scale titles” based on “key IPs”.

The biggest game Square Enix have coming out between now and 2027 (or beyond) is Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3. There’s no release date, but its director has said “development is going well” with a “lot of the content already playable”. The director has also shared that Square Enix are “actively considering” DLC, raising hopes of a playable Advent Children.

Besides Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3, series’ creator, Yuji Horii, has confirmed Dragon Quest 12 is in the works. It was revealed as Dragon Quest XII Flames of Fate with a worldwide simultaneous release planned, but we haven’t heard anything about the game since 2021. Fortunately, we at least have Dragon Quest VII Reimagined coming out in February 2026.