OpenAI brought its Game Builders program to Seoul on Aug. 31, bringing together two pioneers of Korea’s gaming industry and a new generation of developers to explore how artificial intelligence could change the way games are created and operated.

Held at Graphic by Daishin in Seoul, OpenAI Game Builders Seoul featured welcome remarks from Oliver Jay, Managing Director, International at OpenAI, followed by keynote speeches from Jake Song, a pioneer of the MMORPG genre and former CEO of XLGAMES, and Byungjoon Song, Chairman of Com2uS and an early pioneer of Korea’s mobile gaming industry.

The event focused on the use of AI throughout the game development process, from coding and game design to backend infrastructure and global game services.

Oliver Jay said the gathering brought together developers who helped shape Korea’s gaming industry and those who could redefine its future in the AI era.

“This is a meaningful occasion that brings together the pioneers who helped shape the history of Korean gaming and developers who will redefine its future in the age of AI,” Jay said. “We hope Korean developers will actively embrace AI and boldly explore new possibilities in gameplay.”

Jake Song sees AI as a new participant in games

Jake Song opened the keynote sessions by sharing his experience developing an MMORPG using Codex.

According to Song, the use of Codex increased his coding throughput by more than eightfold, demonstrating how AI-assisted development could significantly change the productivity of game creators.

But Song argued that AI’s potential in gaming extends beyond accelerating software development.

“Rather than viewing AI merely as a tool for building software faster, we should design it as a ‘new participant,’ or agent, capable of observing, making decisions and taking action within the game itself,” he said.

Song presented a vision of next-generation gaming ecosystems in which human players and AI agents coexist and operate under the same set of rules.

The approach points to a broader shift in the role of AI in gaming — from a development assistant working behind the scenes to an active component of gameplay and virtual worlds.

Byungjoon Song: AI could lower barriers to game creation

Com2uS Chairman Byungjoon Song approached the AI transition from the perspective of the mobile gaming industry’s technological evolution.

Looking back on Com2uS’ beginnings about 25 years ago, Song recalled developing mobile games for monochrome feature phones with storage capacities of just 24KB.

“Whether then or now, the essence of gaming remains the same: delivering fun to players within the technological constraints of the time,” he said.

Song said generative AI could fundamentally change those constraints by making game creation accessible to a much broader range of people.

“With OpenAI ushering in the AI era, game creation is being democratized, enabling anyone with an idea to build a game,” he said. “The process of launching and operating those games in the global market will also become significantly faster and easier.”

The event also introduced Hive Axyl, an evolution of Com2uS Platform’s game backend platform designed for the AI era and built on the company’s 25 years of experience in operating game services.

40 developer teams put AI game development to the test

The afternoon program moved from discussion to hands-on development.

Two programs were held concurrently. In Track 1, 40 preselected teams gave three-minute presentations explaining the architecture and major features of games they had developed using AI.

Track 2 challenged participants to develop games in real time. Teams were given a theme at the venue and five hours to build their games using AI-assisted development tools.

Leading Korean game developers also participated as mentors, sharing their experience with AI code-generation tools as well as practical game development expertise.

Boyoung Song, OpenAI International Advisor and CEO of Artue, who led the planning of the event, said Seoul was the first location for OpenAI’s Game Builders event.

“We are delighted to host OpenAI’s first Game Builders event here in Korea,” she said. “I would like to thank the legendary Korean game developers who shared their experience and expertise in developing games with Codex.”

She added that the initiative is expected to expand beyond Korea.

“Building on this event in Korea, we plan to expand Game Builders to other countries so that the gaming industry can deploy AI technology around the world,” she said.

OpenAI Game Builders Seoul brought together OpenAI representatives, gaming industry figures and 40 developer teams, highlighting how AI is beginning to move beyond productivity tools and into game design, development, operation and the gameplay experience itself.