Not a new idea.
It has just become accessible.
Advergames and serious games are as old as video games. What has changed is the cost of making them: AI has opened them up to companies that could never afford them before.
Brands have used games for decades.
From mascots on home consoles to training simulations, games for business are not a trend. They used to be a privilege of the biggest budgets.
Kool-Aid Man
A soft-drink mascot becomes an Atari 2600 game.
Chex Quest
A game on CD-ROM given away in cereal boxes.
Pepsiman
Pepsi’s mascot stars in a PlayStation game.
America’s Army
The US Army releases a serious game for recruitment and training.
AI has changed the economics.
The same kind of game, with very different timelines, teams and budgets.
| Aspect | Then | Now, with AI |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Months of development | A few days for a mini-game, a few weeks for a more complex project |
| Team | Large teams, often a whole studio | Small teams, assisted by AI |
| Budget | Big-brand budgets | Within reach of SMEs too |
| Who could afford it | Major brands, multinationals, armed forces | SMEs, schools, museums, destinations and local organisations |
of game developers already integrate generative AI into their workflows.Google Cloud and The Harris Poll, survey of 615 developers, August 2025
Indicative timelines based on Play2Business production estimates; every project has its own.
A market that keeps growing.
Games are one of the largest entertainment industries in the world, and your customers and employees already speak their language.
Global games market revenue
US$ billion, Newzoo
View as table
| Year | Revenue (US$ bn) | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ≈ 184.8* | — |
| 2025 | 201.6 | +9.1% |
| 2026 (forecast) | 213.9 | +6.1% |
* Derived from Newzoo’s reported +9.1% growth in 2025.
2025 was the first year the global games market passed 200 billion dollars.
Newzoo, Global Games Market Report 2026players worldwide in 2026, expected to reach 4.07 billion by 2029.
Newzoo, Global Games Market Report 2026active players in Italy, with almost 8 hours of play per week, in a €2.4 billion market.
IIDEA and Ipsos, Video games in Italy in 2025A custom game is no longer a big-brand privilege. It’s a realistic option for your business.
Sources
Newzoo, Global Games Market Report 2026 (via GameDev Reports and Wccftech).
IIDEA and Ipsos, I videogiochi in Italia nel 2025 (via Teleborsa).
Google Cloud and The Harris Poll, press release, 18 August 2025.
Is a game right for your business?
Tell us your objective and budget. We’ll tell you honestly whether a game is the right tool, and what it could look like.
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