A16Z Games: Use of AI in Gaming in 2024

Great survey that mostly covers small studios.

The company surveyed 651 employees from game industry companies of various sizes. 84% of respondents work in teams of fewer than 20 people.

---

• 73% of game studios are already using AI in their processes. 88% plan to do so in the future. A16Z Games notes that company founders are the most positively inclined (85% reported using AI), while artists are the most cautious (58% use AI).

• The majority of studios saw both increased productivity and reduced costs after integrating AI. However, some were unsuccessful - 16% of respondents did not notice productivity growth, and 35% did not see cost reductions.

• 67% of respondents are interested in AI. Among artists, there is the highest proportion of those who view the new technology negatively (27%).

• Some people believe AI will destroy their jobs. 36% of artists consider the technology a threat to themselves; 24% of game designers and programmers feel threatened. Company founders are the least concerned, with only 15% feeling AI will replace their jobs.

Consider subscribing to the GameDev Reports Premium tier to support the newsletter. Get access to the list of curated articles & archive of Gaming Reports that I’ve been collecting since 2020.

• The main problems companies face when integrating AI into their processes are the quality and accuracy of models (53%); legal risks (12%); integration issues (11%); team members discomfort and risk of negative reactions (8%).

• 53% of respondents are exploring how to apply AI in real-time. This likely refers to AI-controlled NPCs.

• 54% of studios plan to work with their own models. This allows them to eliminate legal risks and increase the consistency of produced content.

• Currently, most AI application cases are in the early stages of development (pre-production, prototyping). AI is actively used in narrative, music and voice creation, and advertising creative production.

• 70% of respondents indicated that they either used or plan to use AI for generating 3D assets. Last year, only 48% reported this. It’s evident that there is industry demand for this.

• The ten most popular AI tools (or companies) among game developers are Claude, Flux, ChatGPT, Cursor, Eleven Labs, GitHub Co-pilot, Meshy, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and Suno.

Source