Devcom + Gamescom 2025: AI vs Humans in Game Development

by Iryna Baranovska | September 5, 2025 11:13 am

This year in Cologne, one question kept coming up again and again: what role will AI really play in the future of games? In packed halls and side events, industry voices opened up about hopes, fears, and the tough realities of adopting AI. For QATestLab, this year wasn’t just about work. It was about witnessing the game industry at a tipping point — a place where AI, human creativity, and player trust collide. And even with the dominance of AI topics, people still play the leading role in game development. Why? Keep reading for more. 

Our Delegation

Anton Yefimenko [1]— Delivery Director
Oversees project delivery and ensures QA processes meet clients’ goals.

Tetiana Avramova[2] — Key Account Manager
Builds and strengthens relationships with key partners.

Pavlina Svarychevska[3] — Product Growth Advisor
Advises on product strategy and drives growth through QA expertise.

What We Experienced

While Devcom offered insightful lectures, Gamescom stood out as the main hub for meetings and practical connections. Both events complemented each other — Devcom provided deep industry knowledge, thought-provoking sessions, and a closer look at rising trends, while Gamescom created the stage for networking, new partnerships, and direct business opportunities. 

The events also revealed new indie studios that truly impressed our delegation. These indie booths proved again that creativity doesn’t need a massive budget — sometimes just a massive imagination. We also noted an increased presence of new studios from the US and Canada, expanding the international opportunities.

Our team participated in side events, lectures, and networking meetups, which turned out to be highly relevant. Most importantly, they gave us both the strategic insights to understand where the industry is heading and the real conversations to turn those insights into action.

AI in Game Development: Opportunities and Risks

Of course, AI dominated the conversations, and industry experts highlighted both opportunities and challenges. The future splits into two directions: optimizing existing experiences and reinventing games as unique, personal worlds. Experts also pointed out how AI can guide players returning to live service games by shaping a personalized “ideal path”. 

Speakers projected a shift from scripted NPCs to hyper-personalized characters, stressing that costs and trust issues slow adoption. Many agreed that gamer-trained models are necessary, while also acknowledging that studios remain cautious about openly admitting AI use due to IP concerns.

Another perspective emphasized the importance of clear corporate policies: AI should empower creativity, not replace jobs. Some organizations are already committing to using AI only to boost productivity, never as a reason for layoffs.

Discussions also touched on agent-based coding as a “clear win” for development speed, but warned of QA challenges with LLM-driven NPCs — from hallucinations to evaluation methods. Model stability, latency, and hardware diversity were all cited as key barriers to scale.

Human Creativity Leading the Scene

Despite AI’s dominance in the discussions, one message stood out clearly: people remain at the heart of game development. Talent, human creativity, and collaboration continue to shape the industry, while AI is viewed as a powerful tool to support — not replace — human ingenuity.

During the event, we also heard stories that underlined this point. In one case, an AI-generated quest chain looked flawless on paper, but included a logical loop that would have trapped players indefinitely. It took the intervention of a QA team and a designer to spot the error and prevent it from reaching production.

Examples like this remind us that AI can accelerate workflows, but it is people who safeguard creativity and ensure games stay playable and meaningful. The future of gaming will be defined not by machines alone, but by the partnership between human talent and AI tools. Someone even joked that “AI can write your code, your quest lines, and even your coffee order — but QA will still need to check if it makes sense.” We couldn’t agree more.

Our Main Takeaway from Devcom + Gamescom

For QATestLab, these events are never just about business. We go there for people. Meeting developers, publishers, and creative teams face to face is what drives us forward. Connections are not just a part of growth — they are our growth.

Helping others is our motivation, and every new dialogue adds to our shared expertise. That’s why our priority is building relationships, sharing knowledge, and supporting studios on their journeys.

As the industry steps into a new era shaped by AI and bold innovations, we want to be part of this new world of games with the people who create it. We use AI to test, and we test AI[4] to trust.

Looking Ahead

QATestLab will continue sharing its expertise at upcoming events. Whether it’s live game stability[5], multiplayer testing[6], or AI integration[7], we keep saying that QA is also a top priority. Our role is to ensure that the boldest ideas in gaming actually work for players.

Didn’t get a chance to meet us in Cologne? Reach out[8] – we are always open to discussing how QA can improve your project.

Stay tuned for updates on our next industry event.
By the way, our next stop is Lisbon for the SBC Summit, and we’d love to connect in person with those driving the iGaming and betting industry.

[9]

Related Posts:

• Behind the Scenes at Nordic Game 2025: GameDev Trends and Interview with QATestLab’s Delegation[10]
• E-show 2025: The Rise of AI and Automation in E-commerce[11]
• Artificial Intelligence for Game Testing: A Friend or a Foe?[12]

Source URL: https://blog.qatestlab.com/2025/09/05/devcom-gamescom-2025-ai-vs-humans-in-game-development/

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