Living games are here: How gen AI is leveling up the games industry

Over the last decade, online connectivity has redefined how we interact with games. Instead of a game you buy and complete once, live online games create fresh content, novel features and thriving communities. Something new is always happening in the game, which gives players a reason to jump back in.

Now, generative AI (gen AI) is taking things to the next level with “living games” — games that adapt, grow and evolve themselves. Imagine a game that can learn how you play and adjust the environment, characters and storylines to fit your unique playing style and skill level. Picture building entire worlds, the perfect mods or custom game items just by describing them. Or having conversations with virtual characters that feel as natural as talking with another human player. These are the kind of experiences gen AI makes possible.

Gen AI is changing how games are made — and played

To stay relevant and exciting, games must constantly evolve to engage existing players and attract new ones. Game developers learn from player data to help them make informed decisions about what updates and features to add. While AI has helped game makers automate sifting through data and detecting connections and trends, lengthy development cycles and manual processes have historically meant game updates lag months behind timely user requests and shifts in player behavior.

Now, leaders in game development are using gen AI across their production process to create new content faster — from initial ideas to concept art to dialogue and more. This is key as development costs continue to rise, AI frees studio staff to focus their efforts on the most important and interesting creative and development challenges.

With gen AI, developers can move away from “one-size-fits-all” approaches into adventures tailored to each player. Instead of the same set of events and stories for everyone, games can now create new content while people are playing.

Together, these advancements give game developers, technology partners, players and even the game itself the ability to actively participate and drive ongoing improvements.

Google Cloud is helping build the future of games

Google Cloud is giving game developers the tools and technology to build living games. We offer developers the same services and infrastructure that power products like Google Search and YouTube, alongside advanced AI like Google’s Gemini models and developer platform Vertex AI. Beyond our own expertise and technology, our partner ecosystem connects game developers with game development tools, engines and platforms from across the industry.

Here’s how we’re already helping make living games a reality:

• Capcom, creators of hit franchises such as Street Fighter, Monster Hunter and Resident Evil, is using Vertex AI and Gemini to generate hundreds of thousands of ideas for game development. Google Cloud AI allows Capcom to rapidly generate and iterate on ideas for creating items and environments, helping to lower costs and speed up the time it takes to create new games. Google Cloud’s AI solutions enable faster processing, high-quality image generation and efficient management of large data sets, allowing Capcom to rapidly iterate and improve game content.
• Klang Games, the studio behind the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game SEED, uses Google Cloud to bring its evolving virtual world to life. With Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Vertex AI and Gemini models, Klang will enable hundreds of thousands of autonomous virtual humans, known as Seedlings, to exhibit unique personalities, form relationships, and shape emergent societies through natural conversations and persistent interactions.
• Series Entertainment, a fast growing startup dedicated to making great games with the power of AI, is using Google Cloud's AI to build games much faster, cutting development time by 90%, which means players get new, immersive experiences like AI-powered characters and rapidly created game environments. This speed allows artists to quickly make changes based on player feedback, keeping the game world fresh and engaging.
• ElevenLabs, an AI audio research and deployment company, uses Google Cloud's scalable AI infrastructure to help game developers create realistic character voices, translate dialogue quickly, and make unique sound effects. This partnership helps studios make games more immersive and easier to create by using AI for all kinds of voice and sound needs.
• nunu.AI, a startup focused on revolutionizing Quality Assurance (QA) with AI, is using Google’s Gemini models to create one of the first multi-modal AI agents that automatically test a game throughout the development pipeline, providing continuous quality assurance at every stage. By automating repetitive testing tasks, nunu.ai ensures developers can focus on what matters most: creating exceptional gaming experiences for players..
• Common Sense Machines (CSM.ai) builds 3D generative AI models and agents to help game artists build immersive game worlds. Working with Cosmic Lounge, CSM can automatically create game-ready 3D assets from simple text descriptions and images, reducing the time it takes artists to create new content.

We're proud to play a key role in shaping the future of the games industry alongside our customers. To take your player experiences to the next level, head over to Google Cloud for Games and learn more.