In today’s gaming industry, almost every studio is asked whether they use artificial intelligence in development. While many upcoming AAA titles (such as Shadow Blade Zero) stay away from generative AI, many developers are stepping up their efforts to embrace the technology. For example, Ubisoft has required generative AI experience in all job openings, and the head of "ARC Raiders" is using AI to completely reshape Nexon's development process. It turns out that most companies in the industry are currently using AI but just keeping it secret.
Jack Buser, global director of Google Cloud Gaming Business, said in an interview that at least 90% of developers in the industry are using AI tools but choose not to make them public for fear of criticism.
"I don't think players realize that their favorite games now are already built with AI," Busser said. "We did a survey last summer during Gamescom, and about nine out of 10 game developers told us 'yes, we're using it.' The 'usage gap' that's come up in other surveys is really a matter of developers' willingness to tell you the truth."
Buser revealed that many studios have used Google's generative AI tools, such as Gemini, to speed up development and produce the most popular games on the market. He also stressed that this is a positive trend because AI technology helps games be released faster and allows developers to take more risks due to lower costs.
The Google executive also revealed that Capcom has been using Gemini and Nano Banana to eliminate low-value tasks while producing content for its games. According to Buser, Capcom uses generative AI to generate large amounts of ideas for small assets such as cobblestones and grass. The art director then asked Gemini to sift through the ideas and select the most interesting designs, which were then produced by the art team. This way, Capcom doesn't have to expend manpower on generating ideas for small objects like cobblestones, and instead lets developers focus on high-value tasks like enemy and protagonist design.