Could Elon Musk’s Neuralink Be the Future of Video Games? Activision Blizzard’s Bobby Kotick Thinks So

Elon Musk has touted Neuralink as a possible cure for paralysis, but Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick thinks the tech has a bright future in video games. 

During a town hall meeting with the company’s employees hosted by British talk show host James Corden, Kotick said brain-computer implants like Neuralink could become a new way to interact with games without the need for controllers.

"I talked a little earlier about the physical experience of interacting with something on screen," he said, according to a Windows Central report. "I think you'll see things like Neuralink — you'll actually be able to interact with things on the screen, where there isn't a controller."

Neuralink has billed itself as a medical device and is recruiting for its first clinical trial involving humans with paralysis or ALS. The goal of the trial is to assess the implant's safety and initial outcomes, like enabling users to move a computer cursor with their thoughts. But while it is early days for Neuralink, Kotick is enthusiastic about a future where technology pushes video games to new heights.

Kotick added that the technology could give players a more emotional connection to characters in games than other media, like film, can't offer.

"If you look at the new technologies that are on the horizon, we're going to be able to do things that we've never done before with AI and machine learning," Kotik said. "The quality of graphics are now elevated to a place where we're going to need more writing talent and more acting talent — because we won't be able to actually fulfill the expectations of our players."