By Bruno Schirch‍

Founder & CEO, Playgig

For years, I was enchanted — and often exhausted — by the games industry.

Long production cycles. Heavy pipelines. Bloated teams. The dream was to build magical worlds, yet many of us ended up trapped in labyrinths of complexity.

When AI emerged as a real force, I did what few dared: I dove in headfirst. No manuals. No guarantees. Just a deep intuition that something had to change.

At first, there was wonder. New tools. Endless possibilities. Then came the anxiety: Am I falling behind? I reached out to mentors, friends — even found an AI coach (thank you, Lain). And slowly, I realized: the true power of AI isn’t just about speeding up tasks. It’s about reimagining who we can become.

From Survival to Passion

In the beginning, the motivation was survival.

Veteran startups — led by ex-Riot and AAA devs — were shutting down all around me. Funding was drying up. The competition for attention was brutal, dominated by massive live-ops giants.

How would Playgig survive?

The answer was right in front of me: AI-Native. Not a buzzword. A complete transformation.

We started with practical wins: more productivity, faster research, better decisions. But something deeper shifted — I fell in love with AI.

I don’t just use ChatGPT — I live it. Every day, pushing prompts, breaking limits, becoming part of the 0.01% who truly unlocked its power.

I code with Claude, stress-test outputs with Gemini, devour AI conferences like Anthropic’s AI Engineer Summit, and built Playgig’s own private AI infrastructure from scratch.

And I realized: this wasn’t just about survival anymore. This was about leading a new era.

More Than Productivity — A New Culture

Bringing AI into Playgig wasn’t about replacing people. It was about giving people superpowers.

Our artists now create more, explore bold ideas, and prototype with less fear. Our engineers solve in two days what used to take four weeks. Our team’s collective knowledge — the most valuable thing we have — now lives in a shared brain, not scattered across individuals.

The result? A studio that feels alive again. Junior developers now outpace industry veterans. Designers explore and iterate with unprecedented speed and quality.

AI has leveled the playing field. Not AI versus creators — but creators with AI outperforming everyone else.

Responsible by Design

We don’t just use models — we train them.

We train them to deliver better results. To reflect our style, our goals, our creative voice. And most importantly — to respect the work of others.

From day one, we committed to building responsibly: Training on our own assets — our code, our art, our gameplay data. Running on our own infrastructure — direct APIs with OpenAI and Anthropic, private vector databases, LangChain, and open-source models like Mistral and Stable Diffusion.

This protects us from IP infringement risks. It gives us speed — 300ms latency, not 10 seconds. And it opens the door for player-facing applications: smart NPCs, live balancing, persistent memory, personalized gameplay — all at scale, in real time.

AI didn’t replace our soul. It amplified our essence.

A New Kind of Hope

Today, I wake up energized like I haven’t in years.

Our team isn’t just on board — they’re leading the charge. Many of them say they couldn’t imagine working without AI now. And I get it — I feel the same.

This technology gave us back something rare: Momentum. Hope. Joy.

In a world where great talent often goes unseen — especially outside major hubs like LA or SF — AI has unlocked opportunity.

A junior developer in Brazil can now outperform a senior dev in Silicon Valley. An artist who trains their model can now outproduce entire teams. The tools are available to all — but those who use them with intention will win.

An Invitation

If you’re curious about AI — or scared, or overwhelmed — I’ve been there too.

I had sleepless nights. I worried about being replaced. But I flipped the script — I built Arc Crusader to replace parts of myself, so I could focus on what matters: creativity, leadership, and living a more balanced life.

My advice?

Don’t wait. Don’t watch. Jump in.

Ask the AI where to start. Refine prompts with AI. Use one model to improve another. Train your tools like you would train your team: With feedback. With patience. With vision.

The potential is so much bigger than people realize — and most haven’t even scratched the surface.

This moment is rare. Soon, the window will close. And the race will shift from leading to catching up.

This is a revolution that happens once every 200 years. Don’t just witness it. Shape it.

I’ve already chosen my path. And I invite you to choose yours.

The journey is just beginning.

(This article reflects my personal journey with AI over the past year — from deep anxiety to complete transformation. If you're curious, skeptical, or ready to lead, I hope it speaks to you.)