Shift Up CEO says AI is key to competing with China’s game industry scale

• Shift Up deploys around 150 developers per game, compared to 1,000 to 2,000 on similar Chinese titles.
• AI could allow individual developers to deliver the output of far larger teams.
• Competing with China and the US will require universal AI proficiency across the workforce.

Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade director Hyung-tae Kim has described AI as a vital tool for competing with major global players like China. 

As reported by GameMeca, Kim made the statement last week during a national briefing on South Korea’s 2026 Economic Growth Strategy attended by the country’s president and senior government officials.

He warned that China’s workforce advantage poses a serious challenge to South Korea’s games industry, arguing that AI will be essential to narrowing the gap.

“80% of our company's sales come from overseas, and when we go overseas, the first thing we encounter is Chinese games," said Kim.

“We pour about 150 people into one game, but China uses 1,000 to 2,000 people. We lack the capacity to compete in terms of completeness or quantity of content."

Productivity boost with AI

The Stellar Blade director noted that adopting AI is key to closing the competitiveness gap, arguing it will not replace jobs but instead boost productivity by enabling individuals to perform the work of far larger teams when competing with China and the US.

“I don't believe people will lose their jobs even if AI becomes more widespread," he added. “Even if we mobilise all our human resources, it won't be enough. 

“Only when all these people are proficient in AI, so that one person can perform the role of 100 people, can we compete with industries like China and the US that rely on large-scale human resources."

Kim also stressed that, beyond advances in hardware such as semiconductors, enabling citizens to use AI effectively is critical, citing South Korea’s high adoption of ChatGPT and strong youth interest in AI. 

He also called for government support for startups building accessible, API-driven AI platforms, arguing this approach is more realistic than competing directly with tech giants like Google or Amazon.