The State of Generative AI in Games: Practices, Perceptions, and Problems

This session provides a balanced and critical overview of generative AI in the PC and console sectors, acknowledging both its possibilities and its limitations, and offering a clearer picture of where the industry stands today. Combining industry insight and academic research, it presents a grounded perspective on current developments. We explore how AI use varies by region and across different types of companies, highlight interesting and creative applications of the technology, and address the very real challenges and concerns surrounding its use. We argue that the key question is not whether studios use AI, but how they use it, and we examine how approaches centred on augmentation versus replacement shape both development practices and the quality of outputs.