Generative AI in gaming rakes in $660 million this year, with titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Stellaris leading the charge.

Generative AI technology has stirred up its fair share of controversies, yet it’s had a remarkable year in the gaming world. On Steam, titles utilizing this tech have raked in an impressive estimated $660 million.

Currently, 10,258 games on Steam—around 8% of the entire library—are reported to incorporate generative AI, according to a report from Ichiro Lambe. This marks an increase from 7,818 titles, or 7%, just five months prior, and it seems studios are not slowing down in their adoption of this technology.

The rise of generative AI has sparked concern over games like the upcoming Divinity, and it even led to issues for the award-winning Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 at the Indie Game Awards, where the developer, Sandfall Interactive, revealed the use of generative AI, resulting in the retraction of its Game of the Year accolade.

Despite the controversies, Lambe notes that 12 games on Steam with AI disclosures have generated an astonishing eight figures in revenue, while 33 titles have crossed the $1 million mark, and 170 have reached six-figure earnings. Notable mainstream games like Stellaris, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and inZOI are among these top earners, indicating that it’s not just lesser-known titles benefiting from generative AI.

Given this financial success, it’s no wonder that developers like Ubisoft and the self-proclaimed “AI first” Krafton are fully embracing AI technology, even if it raises some eyebrows. While I find this disappointing, it’s hardly surprising.

Hideo Kojima has remarked that Metal Gear Solid 2 is “often mistaken for a story about AI,” but he clarifies that it’s really about “what human life would become” in the digital age.