Game DevelopmentDay 0 of a build log: I'm going to attempt to ship an iOS game to the App Store in 2026 using AI tools for as much of the work as possible. Today is reconnaissance — what AI can actually do, what it can't touch, and three falsifiable predictions for the next checkpoint.
AI in GamingNine Claude connectors for Blender, Autodesk, and Adobe dropped in a single release. Meanwhile, community MCP servers have been executing natural-language commands inside Houdini, Maya, and Unreal for months. This isn't just automation — it's a fracture in what tool expertise actually means.
Game DevelopmentOver 45,000 gaming jobs have been cut since 2022, and 55% of those laid off still haven't found new work. The Skillsearch 2026 report puts human numbers to a crisis that studios are now describing as permanent — and the people who built the games you love are the ones paying for it.
Game DevelopmentThree AAA live-service launches in April 2026 — Pokémon Champions, Crimson Desert, and Marathon — are testing whether the industry's standard playbook for recovering from a rough launch can actually work at this scale.
AI in GamingArc Raiders' publisher unveiled its end-to-end AI intelligence platform at a Tokyo briefing, claiming billions of player sessions will empower developers — not replace them. The GDC 2026 survey tells a different story about how developers feel.
AI in GamingThe GDC 2026 State of the Industry survey revealed a perfect paradox: developer opposition and corporate adoption have hit the exact same number. Here's what the data actually says, and why the rift between creators and executives is only getting wider.
Industry NewsNew TIGA data shows the UK games development workforce fell 4.5% in 2025, ending 14 straight years of growth — and a collapsed startup pipeline suggests the damage runs deeper than one bad year.
AI in GamingCapcom publicly declared it won't ship AI-generated materials in final games. But between Street Fighter 6's AI-driven commentary, Monster Hunter Wilds' brainstorming tools, and the DLSS 5 blindside, the distinction between AI-assisted and AI-generated is getting blurry fast.
Industry NewsYakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi's studio faces closure after NetEase determines his debut game needs an additional $44.4 million to finish. Three months after a triumphant Game Awards reveal, the dream is unraveling.
AI in GamingThe GDC 2026 survey reveals studios use AI for emails and brainstorming, not art. Meanwhile, NVIDIA is generating 5 fake frames for every real one, Lenovo built a monitor that plays the game for you, and a Chinese gaming billionaire is spending $2B chasing AGI.
Game DevelopmentEmbark Studios just released a documentary revealing how Arc Raiders went from a free-to-play PvE hero shooter to the extraction game that sold 12 million copies — and the painful resets it took to get there.