Google Cloud Games boss claims AI lets devs make more games and "take more risks"

Jack Buser, Google Cloud's Global Director for Games, claims that AI will allow game creators to not only develop more titles in a shorter span of time, but makes it easier for them to take risks, knowing that even if a release doesn't hit with gamers, they have more opportunities to find a title that does.

The use of AI in game development has seen a huge increase over the past year to a largely negative reception from audiences. That hasn't stopped the train, though, with many big names in the industry showing interest in the technology. Bethesda's Todd Howard has already confirmed that, while they won't use it for generating anything in-studio, he does like the idea of using AI for "big data tasks." Meanwhile, former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra criticized Pearl Abyss for apologizing for using AI to create assets in Crimson Desert.

Buser and Ybarra share the same sentiment in one sense: AI is already huge, and it's present in a lot of the titles we enjoy, whether we like it or not. And from Buser's perspective, using artificial intelligence tools like Gemini or Nano Banana Pro can take "repetitive, low-value work" off the plates of game developers, allowing them to release more games and take more risks.

Speaking with mobilegamer.biz, Buser suggests that public opinion on AI usage will change once game developers start releasing games more frequently with its help, while also allowing them to take bigger chances on titles they may not have released before.

"[Fans] will start to realize this is actually helping me get my favourite games faster," he said. "I'm also getting more innovation in the industry because there's more room to take risks. It's not seven years waiting for one game, but that studio can make five games, and maybe they understand that only two of those five games will be a hit, but that's okay because these three other games are really interesting and cool, and would have never been made with the old model."

On one hand, it could be interesting to see what kind of new games developers would launch if they felt that they were able to take more swings at releases, rather than living and dying by the success of every game launch. However, on the other hand, there's something beautiful about seeing all the tiny details that teams leave for us players to find, and losing those because they are deemed "low-value work" could take some of the magic away from games.

Whether AI leads to developers releasing floods of new titles every year remains to be seen, but Buser clearly thinks that's where the tides are flowing.