Playful.AI kicks off first Game Jam with a $7,000 prize pool, where AI features are must-have
- Winners will include an overall Champion, two Excellence Awards winners and a People’s Choice winner.
- Studios can present their works on any platform like itch or Roblox.
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Games startup Playful.AI is kicking off its first Game Jam on August 8th, 2025, on the hunt for a project with “systems that start small but explode into infinite play loops”.
Registrations are open now to any studio of one to five people that meets Playful.AI’s qualifying criteria. These include a developer’s game being a mobile-friendly web experience, accessible in English, and featuring at least one AI-enhanced mechanic or feature.
The Game Jam will span one week with $7,000 in total rewards, of which the winner will receive $4,000 and a launch partnership opportunity.
Two Excellence Awards winners will receive $1,000 each and a People’s Choice winner will win the remaining $1,000 based on a community vote.
Creating and competing
Playful.AI was founded earlier this year by former Netflix Games VP Mike Verdu and Zynga founder Mark Pincus. They act as co-CEOs at the company, with Pincus also serving as the startup’s CFO. Former Netflix GenAI for games director Richard Sun also joined the company as chief technology officer.
Verdu stated in 2024 that he was “focused on a creator-first vision for AI, one that puts creative talent at the centre, with AI being a catalyst and an accelerant”.
That focus appears to remain forefront at Playful.AI, where the goal is to “reinvent game development and game experiences with AI”.
To that end, the company’s first Game Jam will challenge creators to build combination-based games enhanced by AI.
There are no rules on genre, provided the game is PG, and Playful.AI has suggested inspirations like Infinite Craft, Atomas and Little Alchemy. The company also hopes to see something unique with at least 25 discoverable combinations in-game.
The games presented in the Game Jam should also have the potential to scale up into a full-length title.
Studios can present their works on any platform, such as itch or Roblox.
