Justin Carter, Contributing EditorMarch 6, 20252 Min ReadImage via Welevel.At a GlanceMunich-based Welevel has raised $5.7 million to develop an unnanounced sandbox game and a suite of AI tools.Independent studio Welevel recently raised $5.7 million in a round of seed funding. The German studio plans to put that money toward growing its staff and developing AI tools made to "streamline game development and create dynamic, personalized gameplay."According to the announcement, these tools "innovate on world-building, NPC behavior, and quest generation, through sophisticated algorithms that make interactions tailored to each player. This system allows for adaptive storytelling where players choices shape the world in unexpected ways, providing a truly dynamic experience."Venture firm Bitkraft, which previously put invested in Sprocket Games and Lightforge Games (among other ventures), led the majority of Welevel's funding.Welevel's debut project game is a triple-A survival game. Founder and CEO Christian Heimerl believed his previous AI experience at past companies allowed him to recognize "the potential it has to empower small, passionate teams to produce games. In the past four years, our team has engineered tools and an AI platform that allow us to not just rival triple-A studios, but surpass them with a living, breathing world."Along with its unannounced game, the studio plans to branch off to "expansive user-generated content and aspirations to expand into other genres and settings."GenAI-ai-aiThe AI tool boom is here, and developers of many sizes are trying to get in on it.In the triple-A sector, Ubisoft, Microsoft, and EA have used generative AI or made tools of their own to aid in development. Ubisoft has its Ghostwriter tool, and EA employed genAI to help with the athlete likenesses of EA Sports College Football 25.More recently, Microsoft unveiled Muse, its latest AI model it promised will help "generate game visuals, controller actions, or both." Xbox head Phil Spencer hyped up its usefulness with the promise of aiding in game preservation and "effectively supporting human creatives."Earlier this week, Xbox subsidiary Activision Blizzard was found allegedly using the technology to promote nonexistent Guitar Hero and Crash Bandicoot games to see if players would like spinoffs from those franchises.Outside the heavy hitters, smaller teams like Echo Chunk and Jam & Tea have used genAI to make puzzle games and mutiplayer RPGs. Like Welevel, both studios are bough into the idea of the technology's ability to reduce the development workload and "revolutionize games."Read more about:FundingGenerative AIAbout the AuthorJustin CarterContributing Editor, GameDeveloper.comA Kansas City, MO native, Justin Carter has written for numerous sites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writing can be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don't ask him about how much gum he's had, because the answer will be more than he's willing to admit.See more from Justin CarterDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like