GameMaker's 2023 plans bring AI integration and mod extensions

GameMaker outlined its plans for the year, and AI integration will be a part of its future. In its 2023 roadmap, YoYo Games revealed systems for AI queries would be coming to the popular game development program.

The aim, said YoYo, is for those query results to be incorporated directly into user-made projects. At this point in time, the integration is still in its "early stages," but YoYo said AI would help with "generating code, creating graphical placeholders, and even allowing image in or out-image painting." 

In recent months, developers who've chosen to use generative or query-based AI for their games have been controversial. Video game artists, for example, have been worried that the growing use of such technology will render their industry moot, as recently seen with game artists in China. 

Speaking to that, YoYo stressed that it's currently "exploring the potential of AI," and only usage of the technology that "compliments and simplifies your work, not that replaces or steals it."

"We want to avoid any material that draws on copyrighted work. We are 100% committed to avoiding any uses or integrations that quash individual expression. [...] The improvements taking place within the AI sphere are breathtaking, and we’re aiming to provide these opportunities within GM over the coming months."

2023 will see the "next evolution" of GameMaker 

Outside of the AI integration, one of the big new changes coming to GameMaker in 2023 will be a new runtime compiler and toolchain. The feature will give users a faster performance and easier debugging. A beta version is planned to go out for a small number of participants on both mobile and desktop. 

Later in the year, YoYo plans to release a beta for its redesigned Code Editor. The new Editor will feature a new UI and allow users to create wholly new objects and events from inside the Editor itself, rather than switching over to the Workspace to do it. A side-by-side preview function will also be included so users can see changes as they occur.

Finally, GameMaker will have mod support via an extension connecting games to mod.io. The feature was previously added in late 2022, but only for in-game graphics. The new extension from mod.io supports "simple DLC options and more sophisticated user-created levels and data."

For the full list of features and changes coming to GameMaker through 2023, you can read YoYo Games' blog.