Tag: AI

Even since DeepMind’s AlphaGo defeated a human champion in a five-game series of an ancient Chinese board game in 2016, it demonstrated the potential of AI to think, learn, and strategize. AI has transformed every field, and the mobile gaming industry is no exception. From smarter NPCs to whom you can have impromptu conversations to difficulty levels that adapt to gamers’ skill levels, AI is revolutionizing how games are developed and experienced. 

Mobile games thrive on interactivity, and AI can take it to another level by making the experience less predictable and more unique to each player. While the implementation of AI continues to evolve, this blog discusses the best practices adopted by industry leaders for designing mind-blowing games and unmatched experiences. 

The Impact of AI on Game Development

By enhancing the realism and immersiveness of games, it is safe to say that AI is on its course to achieve complete adoption by the gaming industry. With features like dynamic content generation and adaptive gameplay, AI models are trained to smartly analyze the players’ data and determine their likes and dislikes. For instance, the AI-driven game Oasis reflects the sandbox environment of Minecraft while offering randomized gameplay and a highly immersive experience.

The graph below confirms that 56% of AI adopters use it for worldbuilding, and 64% of them are in favour of developing more interactive NPCs.

Source: [Unity Sentis beta user survey 2023, 7,062 respondents]

A survey by a16z Games highlighted that almost 73% of game development studios were using integrated artificial intelligence in their processes. This widespread and exponential integration of AI in games signifies its pivotal role in shaping the future of the gaming industry. The graph below represents the predicted growth rate of integration of AI in game development.

Source: [The business research company, 2025]

AI Models Used in Game Development

The various AI models used in game development by industry leaders include:

Types of AI	Definition	Example
Natural Language Processing	It is used to understand and generate human language to make interactions between player and game more natural.	Real-time AI-generated conversations with NPC in The Matrix Awakens.
Decision Making	This model is used to train NPCs to analyze players and make decisions regarding the game environment and interaction.	The environment-based actions of characters in The Sims Series, such as sleeping at night or eating when hungry.
Learning	This model enables game agents to analyze and understand player behaviour and develop their performance through trial and error methods.	Norns in the Creatures that adapt their behaviour based on interactions.
Pathfinding Algorithms	As the name suggests, this algorithm determines the best route for characters or entities to move in the game environment. This ensures smooth movement and minimal obstacles.	A algorithm is used in Warcraft 3 to find the shortest path between two points and determine optimal movement.
Fuzzy Logic Systems	This system handles reasoning and decision-making when the information available is not certain or imprecise. This enables more human-like decision-making.	The Sims Series uses fuzzy logic to make its characters behave according to varying degrees of needs.
Finite State Machines (FSM)	These are behavioural models made from a limited number of states and transitions. They manage the behaviour of game entities in a coordinated manner.	Halo-Combat Evolved uses AI when the player switches between action modes like fleeing, attacking, or patrolling.
Behaviour Trees	These are hierarchical models used for creating complex and modular AI behaviour for NPCs. This facilitates complex decision-making where common decisions like attacking or iterating with the player in a nuanced manner.	In Halo 2, the actions of NPCs are managed by AI to make its enemy tactics more varied and sophisticated.

How AI is used in Game Development

Let us explore the different ways in which AI is used for game development:

Image Enhancement

AI-powered deep learning can help enhance images by adding more textures and improving visual fidelity. This saves a ton of developer’s time in filling in the details and helps them create a more immersive environment and hyper-realistic 3D game animations. For example, Genshin Impact uses AI to render stunning visuals on mobile devices with limited processing power.

Player-Experience Modelling (PEM)

AI models are trained to analyze the players’ gaming proficiency to adjust the difficulty level in real-time. This tailored gaming experience resonates with the players’ comfort and drives more engagement. Candy Crush Saga uses AI to adjust the difficulty level of the game based on the player’s performance. Similarly, in Call of Duty, the developers integrated AI-powered matchmaking for competitive and enjoyable matches.  

Procedural Content Generation

This is a game-changer in the gaming industry which allows for real-time creation of game assets and enhancing replayability. This can be seen in games like Minecraft Bedrock Edition which uses AI powered procedural content generation to craft expansive worlds, unique for every player. Similarly, Spelunky uses this method to create new dungeons with unique playthrough, ensuring new sessions every time. 

Enhancing NPCs

Traditional methods of game development involve scripted behaviour and response of NPCs, limiting their interactions. The integration of AI allows NPCs to analyze and adapt to the players’ behaviour to exhibit more realistic and less predictable responses. For instance, in AI Dungeon, the NPCs generate narratives in real time based on the input of each player.

Cheat Detection

Fair gameplay is crucial, especially in multiplayer games like Free Fire or PUBG, as it can degrade the gaming experience for other players. AI can be trained to analyze the gaming patterns of the players to predict, detect and avoid instances of cheating and ensure fair gameplay for all.

Testing & Debugging

AI is used to automate the testing and debugging procedures more efficiently and reduce the development time of the game. This gives the developer the freedom to spend more time on other aspects such as refining gameplay or the background score. For example, the developers of Angry Birds 2 used AI to simulate gameplay scenarios and identify potential discrepancies in the game mechanics.     

Challenges of Integrating AI in Game Development

AI comes with its own set of challenges and limitations that need to be mitigated by the developers while integrating AI into their game development process:

• Ethical Concerns: There are certain ethical issues linked with the use of AI in games, such as data privacy and decision-making. Developers must ensure struct data protection measures to make sure players data is protected.
• Balancing Difficulty: Although AI has its own intelligence, the balance between an enjoyable and a challenging experience is quite delicate and requires additional human support.
• Regulatory compliances: AI is still in a volatile state and is evolving exponentially, due to which regulations concerning its use are also changing. This may add complexity to game development processes like content moderation or decision-making.
• Mobile Device Limitations: Unlike PCs and gaming consoles, mobile devices have limited processing power. This can limit the implementation of advanced features like real-time natural language processing or complex decision-making algorithms.

Final Thoughts

Game development is an extensive procedure that requires a significant investment of time and effort. Tapping into the power of AI can help developers to significantly reduce development time and boost engagement through interactive gameplay. This blog explored the different ways in which AI is transforming the mobile gaming industry, which includes:

• Interactive and less predictive NPC behaviour.
• Designing the game levels and graphic enhancements.
• Automatically adjusting the difficulty level.
• Real-time analysis of player’s behaviour.
• Personalizing gameplay for each player.
• Cheat detection to ensure fair gameplay for all.

Despite the challenges and limitations such as the limited processing power of mobile devices or ethical obligations regarding data usage, they will soon be concerns of the past. Therefore, leaders of the gaming industry are actively embracing AI with open arms. With such rapid and widespread adoption, AI has proven that it has come to stay, and conquer the traditional methods of game development!  

Why Choose Xpress Gaming to Integrate AI into Your Next Game?

At Xpress Gaming, our team specializes in integrating AI into game development, specifically addressing challenges like ensuring data privacy, regulatory compliances and optimization of mobile devices. With 17+ years of expertise and more than 125 gaming projects, our team works closely with developers and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to delivering results on time and within the highest quality standards. With strict standards like functional testing, performance optimization, and localization, rest assured that you will get every support you need, from concept generation to post-launch support. 

Reach out to us today to know what AI can do for you in game development and join the global revolution!