Video Games: 40% of Developers Use Generative AI

The use of generative AI is progressing among game developers, primarily driven by mobile and free-to-play sectors. The most affected tasks range from research to coding, while some independent developers remain cautious. At Xbox, Asha Sharma announces a central role for AI, and 34% of respondents report having been laid off in the past two years.

Reported Layoffs and Xbox's Stated Direction

34% of respondents claim to have been laid off over the past two years. In a post published Thursday, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma states that AI will play a central role in the brand's future. According to her, a small team will be able to create worlds that currently require hundreds of developers and hundreds of millions of dollars.

What Teams Delegate to AI on a Daily Basis

Respondents cite research and brainstorming as the primary uses of AI, at 73%. Data analysis and synthesis concern 62% of those surveyed, while code generation and debugging are mentioned by 56%. AI is used for concept art or visual ideation by 22% of respondents, and for production art or final assets by 8%.

Rising Adoption and Studio Specificities

According to the GDC Festival of Gaming, 40% of developers surveyed use generative AI tools in their work, up from 36% the previous year. Adoption is particularly strong among free-to-play game developers (58%) and in exclusively mobile studios (70%). Some developers, particularly independent ones, express reservations about this technology. AI plays a significant role in discussions around independent awards, especially since House House has sometimes relied on LLMs to overcome technical difficulties during the final development phase of Big Walk. Furthermore, generative AI is increasingly used to retro-engineer retro games.