Google's Playground lets U.S. adults build video games by typing
Google Labs launched Playground on Wednesday, a website where U.S. users 18 and older can make browser games just by describing them, with no coding needed. It puts game-making within reach of people who have only ever played. A Unity Spark upgrade with professional 3D tools is due in a closed test later this year.
Making a video game used to take years of training. Google wants it to take a sentence. Google Labs, the company's testing ground for new ideas, launched Playground on Wednesday, TechCrunch reported. It lets people build games that run in a web browser by typing what they want.
Users can pick a type of game, such as trivia or racing, or start from scratch. They choose 2D or 3D, and single-player or multiplayer, then describe the rules, the action and the look. They can also upload their own pictures, which the AI turns into game art in a matching style.
Finished games play on phones and computers. Creators can keep them private, share them by link, or publish them to a public gallery. Published games can have leaderboards, and creators can keep editing after release. Users log in with their Google Play Games profile, GamesBeat reported.
Playground is open to people 18 and older in the U.S. Google plans to add more countries. Playing games in the gallery is free. Making them uses a weekly allowance of tokens, with a small free amount and more for Google One AI subscribers.
Game engine maker Unity is a partner. Later this year, Google and Unity will add Unity Spark, a set of more advanced tools with professional game mechanics and high-quality 3D graphics. It will start as a closed beta test inside Playground.
Unity CEO Matt Bromberg said the goal is more than quick, copycat games. "Asking AI to regurgitate an already invented game does not make you the next Hideo Kojima," he wrote, naming a famous game designer. He noted that about three billion people play a game made with Unity each month, "almost none of them have ever made one."
Unity has not set prices for Spark yet, GamesBeat reported, though some free access is planned.
Google is not alone. Roblox launched a similar tool, called Build, in July that makes games from plain-language prompts. Google's past gaming bets include its Stadia cloud gaming service and YouTube Playables, a hub of quick web games.
What we know: Playground is live for U.S. adults, with Unity Spark due later this year.
What we don't: What Unity Spark will cost and how far the free token allowance goes.
Where outlets agree TechCrunch and GamesBeat both report Playground is open to U.S. users 18 and older, needs no code, and will add Unity Spark later this year.
Where they differ Unity says Spark is for building real, polished games, but it has not set prices, and Playground's free tier caps how much users can make each week.