How the generative AI revolution is changing games
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The AI revolution in games is well underway – and right now it doesn’t matter how far its potential will stretch. The mere opportunity it presents is enough to shake up the industry.
The SAG-AFTRA strike has ended after nearly a year following the approval of a tentative deal. Chief among voice actors’ concerns was the threat of AI ultimately replacing their work, with the new deal securing key protections.
We’ll see over time how effective that is. It’s a key example of major disruption in the industry from even just the threat of generative AI tech.
The next wave of startups
As with all big new buzzworthy tech trends, a new wave of startups are popping up. The difference this time compared to the metaverse and blockchain is, frankly, the calibre of the people involved.
Zynga founder Mark Pincus and former Netflix VP of games Mike Verdu have formed a new studio called Playful.AI. All we know right now is their aim to “reinvent game development and game experiences with AI”. This could just result in a copy and paste match-3 game, but they have extensive experience in building games companies.
Meanwhile, Homa co-founder and former CRO Olivier Le Bas has set up AI-first studio Everyday, similarly with the mission to “rethink how we build mobile game experiences and create products people come back to, every day”. Former Tiny Rebel Games CEO and former 2K Games VP Susan Cummings has also set up 10six Games “working at the bleeding edge of genAI”.
Mobile games giant Supercell is particularly keen on the opportunities right now, setting up an AI Innovation Lab in San Francisco with the aim to “help us revolutionise Supercell and our industry”.
Industry buzzwords
These taglines are often hot air. But generative AI tools are already being used by developers. The tech’s use in marketing creatives is shaking up user acquisition. At Pocket Gamer Connects San Francisco earlier this year, Rovio senior art director Tatu Petersen-Jessen discussed how the Angry Birds developer has used it in game art and marketing.
At PGC Barcelona, The AI Guys co-CEO Ken Noland discussed using genAI tools to rebuild the original X-COM: UFO Defense in North America in three months. Notably, he has previously said the tech doesn’t “even remotely” live up to the hype, requiring an experienced engineer to guide it. But he noted it was a “huge accomplishment” to build an engine in such a short timeframe.
It’s difficult to know how far generative AI tech can go – putting aside the elephant in the room: copyright infringement.
But even its potential for disruption is enough to cause it. We’ve seen it with SAG-AFTRA. We briefly saw it with Duolingo’s ‘AI-first’ shift before publicly backtracking over a public backlash – but do we really think its executives will simply stop there because of bad PR?
There are already clear use cases for genAI in games. How far the rest of the hype becomes a reality remains to be seen. But the transition to even a partial use of the tech in games is enough to shake things up as leaders and creatives chase both reality and opportunity.
We’ll keep reporting on genAI along with the other major trends and breaking news in the industry. But for more insights, check out the AI Gamechangers newsletter run by our very own Dave Bradley. It’s also a major topic at our conferences, including the upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects Summit Shanghai on July 30th and PGC Helsinki on October 7th to 8th.
