Hardware Ready Ready to Bench?
Xbox AI usage. Brandon Stirrup, Business Strategist at Xbox, stated that artificial intelligence (AI) is widely employed within the company in video game development. This statement comes at a time when AI use in the gaming industry remains debated and often viewed with skepticism.
Stirrup claimed to have developed a game, which he described as “mediocre but improvable,” in just two days with only three hours of actual work. He announced his intention to publish a demo video to highlight how easily anyone, even without prior experience in game development, can start creating a game.
Xbox AI usage: why it matters
In his social media post, Stirrup emphasized that he was able to create this prototype while dedicating free time to other activities, including watching an NFL game and spending time with family. He then speculated that with the help of two people over the course of a year, it would be possible to create an AAA game.
“I’m telling you I tried it and it’s true: anyone can create a video game,” Stirrup added, stating that Xbox uses AI just like all companies do in 2026. He expressed concern that revealing this reality could cost him his job, but said he was prepared to face the consequences rather than continue with the hypocritical attitude of many colleagues pretending not to use AI. “It’s time to accept it and move on,” he declared.
Stirrup criticized the gaming industry for being the only one resisting the adoption of AI, attributing this reluctance to negative user perception. He added: “Gaming is the only industry that pretends not to use AI: games are the only sector deliberately slowing down the transition because users have a negative perception.”
When a user raised doubts about the long-term manageability of games with AI-generated code, noting it would be complicated to work on low-level code, Stirrup responded: “In 2026, it makes no sense to draw up a 5-10 year plan without AI. Everything you plan will be overtaken. You are planning for a fictional future.” He also highlighted that Xbox is looking for a physical game distribution “strategist,” hinting at possible implications for disc support.
What changes and what are the effects
Stirrup concluded by stating: “If I get fired in the next few hours, it will be because I told you the truth no one wants to tell you. You can create a game with a simple prompt, and yes, custom and tailored games can be made. Everything you want in a game is right there at your fingertips, for better or worse. I am ready to take the hit if it means hundreds of people at Xbox can stop pretending not to use AI.”
The Business Strategist also developed an improvable game via “vibe coding” and showed a recording of the agent performing tests and continuous iterations. Lags and freezes were attributed to the screenshots necessary for the agent to visualize the results of its work.
Source and further reading on Xbox AI usage: original article.
* Content created with the assistance of artificial intelligence systems.