Episode 2: What Do We Talk About When We Talk About AI in Game Development, Chris Hewish?

It’s a rough time in the game industry right now. Like most people who are even tangentially related to it, I have friends who’ve lost their jobs – even lifelong careers – in the last couple of years, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. From 2023 to 2024, almost 20.000 people have lost their jobs as major games companies have shuttered productions and turned to new ways to cut development costs.

Meanwhile, gaming profits are at an all time high, and mobile gaming is leading the way with over 90 billion dollars in profits listed in 2024. Approximately half of the entire industry.

A major reason given to the firings is that game development has gotten wildly expensive, and that games companies can’t afford such extensive production pipelines for products that aren’t games as a service titles. But at the same time, notable Games as a Service products have flopped spectacularly recently.

So wouldn’t the answer be cheaper, smaller scale productions? That certainly seems like the answer that makes most sense. After all, smaller development costs means easier time to recoup expenses, and if mobile gaming is any evidence, gamers don’t always need their games to be 400 million dollar epics.

One of the major directions that companies are pointing to as the future is the use of AI in game development. Something that was a huge part of the Writers and Actor’s Guild strikes in California, and a hotly debated topic in the industry.

I was very hesitant to approach this issue, as I’m not a neutral party to it in the least. I’m vehemently against the use of generative AI, as it’s something that has already made my career path more difficult and even more undervalued than it was before. I don’t cover AI generated films or games, and as a published author and screenwriter, it terrifies me with regards to the future.

But, to paraphrase the great Werner Herzog, the poet must not avert their eyes. This is what’s coming, and we have to face it without blinking.

So, I spoke with Chris Hewish, who is the Chief Communications & Chief Strategy Officer at Xsolla. Xsolla is a business engine for gaming, established in 2005, which processes global payment methods in over 200 regions, so they’re at the heart of everything that happens in the industry.

Chris has previously worked with companies such as Skydance, Survios, DreamWorks, and Activision, so he’s been around the industry. I hope that he’ll be able to talk me through some of my anxieties and provide context for what’s happening – and what’s going to happen in the next couple of years.