The CEO of Shift Up asserts that artificial intelligence is crucial for smaller countries aiming to compete against the workforce strength of China and the United States

Hyung-tae Kim, head of Shift Up, the company responsible for titles like Stellar Blade and Goddess of Victory: Nikke, suggests that nations such as South Korea must embrace AI to stay competitive with larger players like China and the United States.

Speaking at the 2026 Economic Growth Strategy gathering in South Korea, Kim noted that while Shift Up cannot match the personnel numbers of Chinese firms, AI could boost productivity and secure employment by adding value to developers trained in AI techniques.

"Our team consists of about 150 individuals per game, contrasted with China's 1,000 to 2,000," Kim shared, drawing on reports from GameMeca, with insights relayed by Automaton through translation.

Despite the controversial nature of this topic, Kim emphasizes that given South Korea's "limited ability to compete in content quality and volume," leveraging generative AI might enable a single trained developer to "accomplish the tasks of 100 people."

Meanwhile, the Belgian game studio Larian Studios has announced their upcoming RPG Divinity will not incorporate generative AI for concept art, following criticism directed at CEO and co-founder Swen Vincke for previous AI experimentation.

Vincke clarified that the studio is not replacing artists with AI, but has used it as a means to "explore possibilities."