> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.strt-slct.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # AI and Game Development - URL: https://www.strt-slct.com/ai-and-game-development/ - Published: 2026-11-08T11:53:50.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-08T11:58:49.000Z - Author: James Doran Whether it is a [port of *The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past* to Nintendo 3DS](https://www.timeextension.com/news/2026/07/zelda-link-to-the-past-gets-a-dual-screen-port-on-3ds-with-help-from-ai?ref=strt-slct.com) or [*The Simpsons: Hit & Run* being playable in a web browser](https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/general/simpsons-hit-run-is-currently-playable-in-your-browser/ar-AA2bPz3l?ref=strt-slct.com), there is an avalanche of games coming to places they were never intended to be, thanks to AI. I'll happily admit, some of these projects are awesome in concept. Projects like [Ship of Harkinian](https://www.shipofharkinian.com/?ref=strt-slct.com) have elevated the emulation experience for classic games like *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* and now, thanks to generative AI, we're seeing a veritable tsunami of projects looking to replicate this accessibility and granularity on a massive scale. So, what's the problem? This isn't just being applied to titles without modern-day, commercial availability. But even if it were, that wouldn't make it okay. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/75/e9/75e94620-9f33-4ed1-a219-e4a4eae247f7/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-08-at-11.29.12-1-1-1.png) *The Simpsons: Hit & Run* is a formative game for me; I was too young to experience *Grand Theft Auto III* when the respective games released, and The Simpsons television series was immensely popular. It's a game I'd love to see brought back and modernised for the present day, but are publishers going to fear the commercial viability of such a project in the age of AI? How many people have been satiated by that playable web browser version? Of course, the fact *Hit & Run* is built off the concepts of *GTA* is not lost on me, but a number of new creative elements were added, such as multiple playable characters, the television series voice cast recording dialogue, the narrative being penned by the television series writing pool, etc. The art style of *Hit & Run* is also different from *GTA*, with *Hit & Run* taking cues similar to the cell-shaded wonder of *The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker*, whereas the *GTA* trilogy boasts rich atmospheric aesthetics across each title's respective city. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/75/e9/75e94620-9f33-4ed1-a219-e4a4eae247f7/content/images/2026/11/IMG_1061.JPG) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo Switch 2) Ship of Harkinian didn't stop Nintendo putting out their utterly sublime *Ocarina of Time* remake on Nintendo Switch 2. The success of that title will inevitably be without question, but *Hit & Run* is not *Ocarina of Time*, and I genuinely want to see what changes developers would make to *Hit & Run* for the 2020s. Would they re-dub Apu? Add new levels? We may be missing out on a better and beefier *Hit & Run*. That said, I [hope they don't re-dub Homer or Marge](https://www.newsweek.com/marge-simpson-voice-shocking-voice-transformation-1851712?ref=strt-slct.com). Digital Sun offered an insight into the dystopian reality now facing smaller game developers. AI can help people steal a game before it's even commercially available. > We’re keeping ReVamp’s first playtest small for now. Here’s why. > > — [Digital Sun - Wishlist ReVamp! (@digitalsungames.com)](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:tuan7pauofbnlzvx4tim44o4?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=strt-slct.com) [2026-10-19T13:05:02.605862318Z](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:tuan7pauofbnlzvx4tim44o4/post/3mya6oryaaw2x?ref%5Fsrc=embed&ref=strt-slct.com) Bluesky: Digital Sun Is this what we want? Do we want game developers to spend years working on a project only for an AI model to clone it, release before it, and see the developer's efforts and creativity yield no reward or commercial viability? This is happening during a period where game industry lay-offs are so rampant we have a [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022%E2%80%932026%5Fvideo%5Fgame%5Findustry%5Flayoffs?ref=strt-slct.com) that has to be retitled annually and is [actively discussing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:2022%E2%80%932026%5Fvideo%5Fgame%5Findustry%5Flayoffs?ref=strt-slct.com#Starting%5Fto%5Fget%5Finto%5FOR%5Fterritory%5Fnow) whether or not to adjust the scope of the article based on the severity. In a recent video, independent game developer Mark Brown toiled over whether to grant the brains behind an expanded AI clone of his game the right to commercially release - a courtesy rarely afforded to many developers. It's an insightful watch. YouTube: Game Maker's Toolkit This will come back to bite us - the gamer - in due course. I don't believe it's a coincidence that used Nintendo DS game prices are so high, especially given how rampant piracy was during the Nintendo DS generation. Companies lost millions thanks to the R4 card. I know, boo hoo, companies, capitalism, etc. but shut up for a minute and think about it. Yes, *Pokémon* can survive [over 5 million stolen copies](https://www.siliconera.com/pokemon-platinum-tops-nintendo-ds-piracy-list/?ref=strt-slct.com) of the Sinnoh games, but many developers, the ones making those niche hits and indie darlings can't. What message does it send if *Ghost Trick* or *The World Ends with You* loses millions of sales? We also need to consider what the retaliation will be. I don't believe it's a coincidence that every *Pokémon* game on the Nintendo DS after the Sinnoh trio used an infrared cartridge. We benefitted from new features from their attempt to add friction to piracy, but will that always be the case? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/75/e9/75e94620-9f33-4ed1-a219-e4a4eae247f7/content/images/2026/11/Screenshot-2026-11-08-at-11.31.16.png) CeX How long until we see games only offered through cloud streaming to prevent user access to files. Imagine if the next PlayStation literally didn't have expandable user storage, or a new proprietary media format akin to the awfully unreliable PlayStation Vita Memory Card. Both of these are reasonable countermeasures from a business perspective, but I sure as hell don't want them. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/75/e9/75e94620-9f33-4ed1-a219-e4a4eae247f7/content/images/2026/11/makesweet-1tl8kl.gif) We bemoan the Game Key Card, but there is a benefit to that mandatory online connection. In theory, the game can't be accessed, even if the cartridge breaks street date, and to play it they can force you to be on the current system firmware. I don't want that. I like having my games actually stored on the game card because the price of a Micro SD Express Card is pretty wild right now. It's all a sad state of affairs, and I've not even touched on the component price increases we've seen thanks to AI or the environmental impact of data centres, but the further down this road we go, the more I want to just turn it off.