The game designers surviving the AI war
在AI战争中幸存的策划
B · Useful, limited Original reporting by Chen Weiyuan for the games outlet Chuapp, republished by 36Kr: a detailed first-hand account of how AI shifted authority inside Chinese studio teams, but it rests on one designer's experience with no hiring data.
Summary based on the full text·Original: about 10 minutes to read
In short
A 6 November 2026 feature from Chuapp (触乐), carried by 36Kr, about "Xiaoxiao", a lead designer in his forties with 20 years at large Chinese studios including Tencent and NetEase. After his extraction-shooter project was cancelled in 2025 he could find no new role inside or outside his company. He describes how AI, wired into project management from early 2025, eroded the authority of senior designers: juniors now argue with AI-derived designs, studios drop the lead-designer role, and decisions move to an investor-style "boss". He now runs his own indie studio and uses AI only for code extensions and draft art.
Key numbers
- 60 + 20 vs 90the designer's analogy: AI adds about 20 points to a junior scoring 60 against a veteran's 90
- 50 to 35age by which a game designer's career may end, before versus now, in the designer's estimate
- nearly 2 yearsdevelopment time of the extraction-shooter project cancelled in 2025, which left him without a role
- 2005year the designer entered the industry, on Chinese Paladin 4
As reported by the source.
Chinese·Web page·opens 36kr.com
What it reports
- The studio's project management system gained AI features: one click generates the PM's requirement list, splits tasks and assigns people; designers press a button to write technical documents; technical review and development have similar AI review steps. QA stayed with people because AI testing cost more.
- Juniors use AI output to challenge veterans; the designer's analogy is a junior at 60 points gaining 20 against a veteran's 90.
- Disputes turn into duels of each person's AI agreeing with them: open questions such as "is this design good?" get affirmative answers on both sides.
- Bosses asking AI for "better" layouts caused rework of routine screens; the designer offers this as one reason big-studio output per person did not rise.
- Some large studios no longer list a lead designer; an artist with 10 years in the industry says some studios now outsource lead art and lead engineering roles.
- Projects run by an internal "boss" acting like an investor, with demos reviewed two or three times before staffing; projects can be cut on a whim.
- In his own indie game he hand-writes the program framework, lets AI extend content, and has people refine all AI-generated art.
How they got it
A long interview with one designer, plus a short comment from one artist and screenshots from social platforms. No company names for the AI workflow, no hiring or salary data.
Limits
- One person's account, told by someone who lost his job; the bias is open.
- The studios and systems described are not named, so the workflow cannot be checked.
- Age discrimination, the post-boom market and cost cutting are mixed in with AI as causes; the article does not separate them.
Why it matters for companies
The account shows a second-order effect of AI in teams: it gives juniors an external source of authority, which can improve weak designs but also produces endless debates when everyone's assistant agrees with its user. Firms adding AI to workflow tools should decide in advance who arbitrates design choices and how AI output is weighed against experience. The rework example is a warning that cheap "optimise this" requests from managers can lower team productivity.
Key passages in translation
Chinese original
打个比方，本来新人60分，老人90分，AI相当于给新人都加了20分，他们就有机会了。
For example, a newcomer used to score 60 and a veteran 90; AI adds 20 points to every newcomer, so now they have a chance.
Chinese original
两边就这样用AI互相反驳了起来，没完没了。
So both sides use AI to rebut each other, endlessly.
Chinese original
不过测试还是由人负责的，因为目前这个由AI来做的话成本更高。
Testing is still done by people, though, because for now having AI do it costs more.
Summary based on the full text. Read the original for the full argument and data.Read the original on 36kr.com
- Tags
- Future of work, Labour