Vivrato report finds 97% of studios have used AI in development
The survey of 101 studio leaders in Europe and North America also found that 94% used AI in at least one of nine production stages.
Vivrato has published a report finding that 97% of studio leaders in Europe and North America have used AI in some form during game development, according to gamesindustry.biz. The consultancy's study is based on 101 interviews with studio leaders conducted between April and September 2026.
The report found that 94% of those surveyed have used AI in at least one of nine production stages. Adoption is highest in code and engineering at 86%, general productivity tasks at 83%, and concept and pre-production at 79%.
Use in design and prototyping stands at 68%, while art, assets and animation sits at 60%. More than half of studios reported using AI for QA and testing and for narrative and world building, while analytics and player data and LiveOps and monetisation showed the lowest adoption.
Confidence in deeper integration remains limited: over half of respondents rated full-pipeline AI integration at three or lower out of ten. Self-rated pipeline integration depth averaged 4.2 out of 10 among European studios including the UK, compared with 3.5 out of 10 in North America. European studios also reported higher use than North American ones in code and engineering, design and prototyping, art, assets and animation, and analytics and player data.
Vivrato founder and CEO Adam Boyes said most of the leaders surveyed declared they have adopted some form of AI in their pipelines.
Legal questions in focus
Earlier this week, Sheridans partner Anna Poulter-Jones provided an overview of the current laws surrounding AI in game development.
Quick answers
How many studio leaders did Vivrato interview?
Vivrato based its report on 101 interviews with studio leaders in Europe and North America, conducted between April and September 2026.
Where is AI use highest in game development?
Code and engineering leads at 86%, followed by general productivity tasks at 83% and concept and pre-production at 79%.
How deep is AI integration in studios' pipelines?
European studios self-rated integration depth at 4.2 out of 10 including the UK, against 3.5 out of 10 in North America. Over half of respondents rated full-pipeline integration at three or lower out of ten.