Artificial intelligence is set to redefine how games are developed, played, and experienced by billions worldwide.
The gaming world is on the verge of a seismic transformation, according to Min-Liang Tan, the billionaire CEO and co-founder of Razer, one of the world’s leading gaming hardware and technology companies.
In a recent episode of CNBC’s Beyond the Valley podcast, Tan said the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will reshape every corner of the gaming industry — from development to gameplay.
“For us at Razer, the way we see it is that AI is going to completely disrupt everything, or change everything in gaming,”
— Min-Liang Tan, CEO of Razer
A $189 Billion Industry on the Edge of AI Disruption
Gaming is one of the largest creative industries in the world, with 3.6 billion players and annual revenues nearing $189 billion, according to research firm Newzoo.
Tan believes AI will affect every level of this ecosystem:
- Developers can use AI tools to design smarter, more dynamic worlds.
- Publishers can deploy AI-driven marketing and distribution.
- Gamers will experience adaptive, personalized gameplay unlike anything before.
“For gamers, the AI tools will be able to change things, in terms of the way they play,” Tan told CNBC’s Arjun Kharpal at Singapore’s SWITCH conference.
Razer’s AI Innovations: Game Co-AI and QA Companion
Razer is already embracing this transformation. The company has developed Game Co-AI, a tool that uses computer vision to “watch” a player’s performance and provide real-time guidance — from solving in-game quests to defeating enemies.
According to Razer, Game Co-AI also pulls data from public APIs to enhance its recommendations. A beta version is expected to launch later in 2025.
Tan also revealed AI QA Companion, a tool designed to automate quality assurance (QA) testing — traditionally one of the most time-consuming and costly parts of game development.
“QA is about 20% to 30% of the development costs and takes up about 30% of the time,” Tan explained.
“Our new tool can identify bugs, log them, and soon, even suggest fixes — making human testers far more productive.”
AI in Esports: The Next Training Revolution
While some in the esports community are cautious about AI interference during live matches, Tan believes it has a powerful role to play in training and coaching.
“We will not have AI running during a game itself, but what about during training?” he said.
“There’s a lot of excitement around using AI to coach future stars. The opportunities are limitless.”
AI-Created Games on the Horizon
Not everyone agrees on how far AI can go in game creation.
Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive (publisher of Grand Theft Auto), recently said AI cannot rival the creativity of human developers.
Tan, however, envisions a future where AI plays a key collaborative role.
“I think we’ll soon be talking about new, exciting games built with AI,” he said. “Maybe even one or two major hits by next year.”
He added that AI won’t replace people but will make smaller creative teams capable of producing world-class games.
“The human creativity still needs to be there — AI just removes the tedious parts.”
A Broader Impact Beyond Gaming
Tan believes AI’s impact in gaming could go far beyond entertainment.
“A lot of what’s happening in the tech industry was born from gaming, and I believe that a lot of what will happen for AI will also be born from AI gaming,” he said.
Razer’s Legacy and Global Reach
Founded in 2005 by Min-Liang Tan and Robert Krakoff, Razer revolutionized the gaming accessories market with its Boomslang mouse, famously named after a venomous snake.
“For a gamer, the mouse is everything — it’s an extension of your arm,” Tan said. “The more precise your mouse is, the more likely you are to get frags.”
With headquarters in Singapore and Irvine, California, Razer quickly became a global brand. It went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2017 and later went private again in 2022.
Now, as Razer leads the charge into the AI-powered future, Tan believes gaming will once again shape the next era of technology — just as it has for decades.