Friends Per Second The AI situation is crazy | Friends Per Second #85
5 snips
Dec 20, 2025 The hosts dive deep into the Game Awards, celebrating its big winners and exploring the hot debate over what qualifies as an indie game. They discuss exciting game trailers, including insights on Resident Evil 9 and the revival of Tomb Raider. A thought-provoking debate unfolds around the impact of generative AI in the gaming industry, touching on ethics, job displacement, and developer concerns. As they wrap up, each shares what they've been playing lately, adding a personal touch to the tech and gaming discussions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
New Games Fight A Growing Long-Tail
- Players keep returning to older titles: only 14% of Steam playtime went to newly released 2025 games.
- This entrenched long-tail makes discovery and player adoption for new releases harder.
Interview Sparked Online Backlash
- Jason Schreier's interview prompted a strong online backlash against Sven's comments about AI use.
- Ralph and Jake describe the reaction as a "shit show" and urge more careful, nuanced discussion.
AI Is A Tool, Not A Replacement
- Larian uses generative AI for early ideation and tooling but insists core creative work remains human.
- Sven Vinke and the hosts stress nuance: studios adopt AI unevenly across tasks and phases.
