Jack Buser: The Game Industry Model is Broken, AI is the Solution

Jack Buser, Director of Google Cloud for Games, has announced that the video game industry’s business model is obsolete, naming artificial intelligence as the only realistic way out of the current crisis. In an interview with Games Industry, Buser stated that AI tools are capable of saving an industry that has been plagued for several years by waves of layoffs, project cancellations, and skyrocketing development costs.

"An Unsustainable Business Model"

"The era where it takes five, seven, or even ten years and hundreds of millions of dollars to develop a video game is simply not viable," Buser told GamesIndustry.biz. "Can we get back to a healthier model where we put tens of millions into a game and get it out in a few years?"

His words come amid discouraging statistics. According to the "State of the Game Industry 2026" report by GDC, which surveyed over 2,300 professionals, layoffs have affected 28% of game developers worldwide over the last two years, with that figure reaching 33% among U.S. workers. Estimates suggest the industry lost about 45,000 jobs from 2022 to mid-2025. Buser presented AI as a tool to solve these systemic issues, noting that the technology will help "bring business models into alignment with reality."

Studios are Already Onboard — But Quietly

Buser pointed to a widespread but often unspoken adoption of the technology. A Harris Poll commissioned by Google Cloud showed that 90% of developers are already using AI tools at some stage of production. Capcom, one of the studios mentioned by Buser, has publicly acknowledged using generative AI on Google Cloud for gameplay testing and idea generation, with AI agents now working over 30,000 hours per month across roughly half a dozen projects. However, the Japanese publisher emphasized that it "will not include AI-generated assets in the content of our games," limiting AI use to improving workflow efficiency.

Buser compared equipping developers with AI tools to putting on an "Iron Man suit" and urged CTOs to make the technology available across all departments. According to him, small studios, in particular, stand to benefit, gaining the ability to compete on equal footing with AAA publishers whose cost structures are becoming increasingly unsustainable.

Skepticism Remains

Not everyone shares Buser's optimism. Google Cloud is a major provider of AI infrastructure for the gaming industry, giving Buser an obvious commercial interest in the wider adoption of the technology. The GDC survey showed that only 36% of developers use AI in their work, and a significant portion of the industry remains opposed to AI tools for ethical reasons—particularly regarding the use of copyrighted materials in training data. Buser himself admitted that the transition will not be painless: last year he told Decrypt that "some game companies will survive and thrive, and some won't."

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