New Developer Harnesses Power of AI to Launch First Game

A new game developer, Half Moon Studios, has made an impressive debut by releasing its first game only a few months after its formation. The secret to their speed? The utilization of artificial intelligence (AI).

Backed by Prominent Investors

Half Moon Studios, founded by Pieter Kooyman, the former chief advertising officer of Miniclip, has already gained support from angel investors in the gaming industry, including Space Ape, Tripledot, Fumb Games, Playsimple, Mopub, and Miniclip.

The Role of AI

In just five months, Half Moon Studios has released the beta version of its puzzle game Picture Quiz, with all of its content being generated by AI. This achievement was made possible by creating an automated content production pipeline that utilizes various forms of generative AI. The studio also gathered feedback from early fans and its Discord community through playtesting on social channels, resulting in the game taking its current shape.

Half Moon Studios is not alone in integrating AI into game development. Roblox’s community has also embraced AI technology, enabling users to create at a much faster pace. Half Moon Studios’ developers have also utilized an AI toolset in their coding process whenever possible.

These efforts have culminated in a beta version of Picture Quiz with over 15 hours of gameplay and thousands of potential rounds. Moving forward, Half Moon Studios plans to transform Picture Quiz into a multiplayer experience and explore user-generated content with the help of AI.

A World First

Pieter Kooyman proudly shared on LinkedIn, “This could well be a world first… In under five months my new venture – Half Moon Studios – has launched its first beta where *ALL* of the content was generated by AI.” Kooyman believes that the future of the gaming industry lies in small tech companies like Half Moon Studios.

AI’s Growing Influence in Game Development

Unity, a prominent game development platform, has also been increasingly embracing the power of AI. Recently, the company announced the introduction of Unity Muse and Unity Sentis, further solidifying the integration of AI in game development.

Despite concerns from artists, AI has been found to complement their work rather than replace them. Anton Danko, the lead artist at Belka Games, emphasized how artists remain vital in the gaming industry and explained how AI can be used as an additional tool.

It’s worth noting that Miniclip and Unity, two companies mentioned in this article, were recognized as top mobile game makers in 2022. Stay tuned for the unveiling of our list for 2023 in the coming months.