SESSIONS

AI vs Goliath: How Small Teams Outsmart Big Gaming Companies

Grand Ballroom 3
1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Big companies have scale. Small teams have speed. AI is changing the balance. This roundtable explores how small studios and lean teams are using AI in very concrete ways to compete with and sometimes outperform much larger gaming companies. No theory, no hype, just real world lessons. It will discuss what actually works and what does not across the full value chain from faster prototyping and production to AI assisted design balancing and iteration, smarter marketing user acquisition and live operations, and how teams organize around new tools and roles. Speakers will share practical tools, methods, mistakes to avoid and best practices to turn AI into a real competitive advantage without massive budgets or headcount. The goal is simple to leave with actionable ideas you can apply immediately to outsmart rather than outspend.

Big companies have scale. Small teams have speed. AI is changing the balance. This roundtable explores how small studios and lean teams are using AI in very concrete ways to compete with and sometimes outperform much larger gaming companies. No theory, no hype, just real world lessons. It will discuss what actually works and what does not across the full value chain from faster prototyping and production to AI assisted design balancing and iteration, smarter marketing user acquisition and live operations, and how teams organize around new tools and roles. Speakers will share practical tools, methods, mistakes to avoid and best practices to turn AI into a real competitive advantage without massive budgets or headcount. The goal is simple to leave with actionable ideas you can apply immediately to outsmart rather than outspend.