Which studios openly use AI?

This is a fascinating question that touches on both corporate strategy and player sociology.
In 2026, there is a clear divide in how game studios communicate about AI

1. The "Open Adopters": AI as a Marketing Asset

Some major studios have decided to fully embrace AI publicly, often to reassure investors about productivity gains or to showcase technological innovation.

Square Enix
The Japanese publisher has made AI a central pillar of its corporate strategy. The company recently announced plans to automate up to 70% of its Quality Assurance (QA) testing processes using AI and has expanded partnerships with organizations such as Google and the University of Tokyo to develop AI companions for games like Dragon Quest X.

Microsoft / Xbox
Microsoft openly promotes its Gaming Copilot initiative. For the company, AI is a natural extension of its broader technology ecosystem and a key component of the future gaming experience.

Electronic Arts
Internal revolt on Slack: In the midst of restructuring waves, EA's management imposed a strict mandate to integrate AI into the development process. Employees protested massively internally, using the company's Slack channels to ridicule these directives. The developers' anger stemmed from their accusation that management was using the "AI productivity" argument as a mere smokescreen to justify waves of layoffs.
See the article: "EA: The Case."

Ubisoft
Highly protective of its social image and creative reputation, the studio showcased "NEO NPC" at GDC 2024. A prototype that recently evolved into "Teammates," it integrates an LLM directly into the game, enabling players to speak into a mic and chat with NPCs in real time.
But when the studio unveiled "Ghostwriter"—an in-house tool built to churn out first drafts of "barks" (the repetitive background dialogue and crowd noise you hear while exploring a game)—it sparked a massive backlash both internally and publicly. The studio was accused of wiping out junior-level roles, as writing these ambient lines is traditionally the first rite of passage for fresh graduates entering the industry. Furthermore, critics argued it would clutter games with soulless, AI-generated text.

2. The "Quiet Adopters": AI Behind Closed Doors

The topic of AI is such that, conversely, at the other end of the industry spectrum—particularly among independent developers and some European studios—what is often referred to as "AI shame" has emerged.

Fear of "Slop" (Low-Quality Content)
Many independent developers use AI tools for coding assistance, asset generation, or production support but choose not to disclose it publicly. They fear players may perceive their games as soulless, lazy, or lacking creative authenticity.

Protecting Employees and Reputation
Companies such as Nintendo have taken a much more cautious approach. While they reportedly use AI internally for technical optimization and development efficiency, they communicate very little about these initiatives publicly. This helps avoid controversy surrounding job displacement concerns or accusations that AI systems were trained on artists' intellectual property without consent.

3. Separate Studio for Greater Freedom?

In Europe, employee pushback has forced many independent studios to operate with extreme discretion, creating small, unannounced teams dedicated to exploring AI integration. As a result, much of the research and experimentation involving AI in production is conducted behind closed doors.
Some studios are already considering launching separate subsidiaries to avoid internal resistance and gain the flexibility needed to pursue new projects with lower production costs.

4. For independent studios, economic realities are catching up with ideological questions.

For independent studios, the primary motivation for continuing to explore AI technologies stems from a growing fear of being outpaced by competitors.

Indeed, the emergence of new AI-driven solutions capable of significantly reducing production costs could quickly put pressure on studios seeking funding. In an increasingly competitive market, these studios must justify production budgets in a market where investors are increasingly asking how much AI can reduce development costs..