Former EA Executive: AI Can Help Small Game Teams Grow, But Can't Save Bad Ones

Former EA executive David Gardner recently stated that AI has helped small game teams grow rapidly, but cannot save bad teams. Gardner was EA's 11th employee, having helped the company enter the European market and drive the development of the EA Sports IP series. He left EA in 2007 and founded the venture capital firm London Venture Partners.

He pointed out that collaborative development between AI and small teams has become a viable business model—companies no longer need to hire large development teams and can use AI agents to improve efficiency. However, AI is only a booster, not a magic pill, and this only works if the team is excellent enough.

He emphasized that the industry needs to filter out low-quality projects just as it did during the Web3 and VR booms. AI can only speed up reaching the end, which could be either success or failure. The key criterion is whether the team can deliver good products, understand player needs, and collaborate well.