Artificial Intelligent technology is becoming increasingly powerful every day, and it is getting more and more applications in the game development field. Right now, we are at a point where we need to rethink the fundamentals of game development.
AI is rising like a shooting star. Every day there are new accomplishments, new software, and AI tools. AI has not only conquered text generation, 2D art and video generation, but also the ability to generate 3D spaces in real-time, basically about to change the progress of game development forever.
How AI Could Affect Game Development
Don't get me wrong, this is not a ranting article about how AI will steal our jobs and is taking away creative aspects. I am merely trying to take a look into the near future and the changes that AI may cause in this industry.
How we used to make games
The traditional progress of making a game is very different each time, but will most likely consist of the following milestones.
- Pre-Production
- Game concept creation / script writing
- Concept art
- Market research and target audience analysis
- Prototype development
- Production
- Asset creation (3D models, 2D sprites, animations, sound effects, music)
- Level design and world-building
- Programming core gameplay mechanics
- Implementing UI/UX design
- Playtesting
- Bug fixing and polishing
- Marketing and promotion
- Launch
How it could go
The traditional game development process involves numerous steps that can take months or even years to complete, depending on available resources. However, with the integration of AI tools, these processes can be significantly accelerated. AI can assist not only in writing but also in generating game concepts. While human input always remains crucial, AI can contribute valuable ideas.
In concept art, AI can play a supportive role. Artists can create basic sketches, which AI can then refine into fully developed concept art pieces. This approach ensures that the core designs remain human-made while expediting production. Additionally, AI can analyze market trends and predict which game concepts are likely to resonate with specific audiences.
The production phase also benefits from AI advancements. Tools like text-to-CAD enable the creation of 3D assets on command, allowing even less experienced artists to produce valuable 3D models. A notable development is Google's Genie 2, an AI capable of generating interactive 3D environments from a single image. Moreover, coding AIs have become highly effective, and tools like modl:test use AI-powered bots to simulate player behavior, detect bugs, and optimize the player experience.
As a result, the entire game production process could become significantly faster with AI support. This acceleration suggests that new games or sequels might be developed in months rather than years. With the current trend of AI, we should stop talking about GTA 6 and start talking about GTA 7 and 8 soon...
If you don't believe me, take a look at what this person has created in just a few hours using AI tools in game dev: