Google launches platform to create video games from text prompts

Google is launching a platform that lets users create video games from a simple text prompt, partnering with gaming tools developer Unity for more sophisticated experiences as AI disrupts the industry.

The Big Tech group and Unity unveiled the product called Playground on Wednesday as the companies aim to capitalise on Google’s success with so-called world models, a type of artificial intelligence that aims to understand the physical world and process more than language.

“Game creation has historically been limited to a very select group with technical experience,” Google said in a blog post. “Playground lowers the barriers to creation, so bringing game ideas to life can now be as easy as describing it through a few prompts — no coding experience required.”

Unity Spark, a more advanced software option, will later this year be integrated within the product, which uses Google’s models, other frontier offerings and its own existing technology.

“Creation is the new consumption,” added Matthew Bromberg, chief executive of Unity, arguing that those creating short-form video will turn to interactive formats including games.

Google launched its world model Genie 3 last year and in January released a prototype for using Genie to create worlds and characters. Gaming stocks plummeted shortly thereafter on fears the advances could render the video game developer sector redundant.

Unity at that time suffered its worst single-day drop in nearly four years as its share price plummeted more than 20 per cent. Since then, its shares have largely recovered those losses, valuing the company at $19.8bn at Tuesday’s close.

Bromberg said the market reaction was a “misunderstanding” of how AI would affect the $200bn games industry. “AI doesn’t replace software; it uses it,” he told the FT.

“We have absolutely no interest in the idea of one-shotting a game, this idea that you can make something in 10 seconds,” he added. “We are building a tool with the idea of creating beautiful, interactive entertainment, not regurgitating the median that language models will regurgitate, having been trained on every game ever made.”

Gamers have been vocal in their criticism of AI, for both the risk it poses to artists and developers who create games, as well as its impact on the quality of games. There have been a number of AI-generated titles that have appeared to closely mirror existing titles.

In January, the developers of puppy-themed horror game Haunted Paws accused a rival title, Ghostly Whiskers, of using AI-generated assets to copy their concept, visuals and story.

Last year, Landfall, co-developer of the hit climbing game Peak, criticised a copycat title called Peaked Climbing, saying it had been reporting “AI slop” imitations. Sony subsequently removed both titles from the PlayStation Store.

“Asking AI to recreate a game that’s already been made does not make you a famous game developer any more than typing the first paragraph of War and Peace into a word processor makes you Tolstoy,” said Bromberg.

Although Unity Spark will generate some assets with AI, Unity said most imagery and effects will come from its existing library, created by human artists who will be credited and compensated. Playground and Spark will have free and paid tiers based on usage.

Once games are created, they can be published to Google Playground, where other consumers can download and play the games.