On Thursday, Google unveiled Project Genie, an AI tool that makes it possible to create interactive game worlds based on a single image or text prompt. Access to the technology has been opened to users of the most expensive tier of the Google AI subscription plan, but even that was enough to shake up the market.
Wall Street\"s reaction was swift. By Friday, the shares of a number of the largest gaming and technology companies had dropped sharply, with declines in some cases reaching nearly 20%. The hardest hit were:
- Unity — down 22.5%
- Roblox — down 12.84%
- Take-Two Interactive — down 10.56%
- CD Projekt Red — down 8.91%
- Nintendo — down 4.79%
Judging by the trading dynamics, investors are seriously concerned about the possible consequences of the rapid development of AI for traditional game development. What is causing concern is not only increased competition, but also the prospect of a radical change in the very model of game creation — from large studios to more accessible and automated tools.