The head of Shift Up, the studio behind Stellar Blade, recently highlighted a critical challenge facing the gaming industry: developers in smaller markets are increasingly at a disadvantage without leveraging AI tools. As major studios in the U.S. and China continue to scale their production capabilities through artificial intelligence, independent and regional developers find themselves needing to adopt similar technologies just to remain competitive. It's a stark reminder that AI isn't just reshaping how games are made—it's fundamentally shifting the competitive landscape. Teams with access to cutting-edge AI resources can iterate faster, optimize workflows, and produce higher-quality content with leaner teams. For emerging markets and indie developers, this creates both pressure and opportunity: either embrace AI innovation or risk falling further behind in an increasingly consolidated industry.