Square Enix uses Google Gemini AI to automate game testing, backed by Japanese subsidies

Square Enix announced that it is employing Google’s Gemini artificial‑intelligence system to automate a large part of its video‑game quality‑control testing. The tool, shown at the Google Cloud Next Tokyo 2026 event, can analyse the game screen, listen to audio cues, interpret the on‑screen situation and move the controller without human input, effectively playing the game to locate bugs.

The project is financed in part by subsidies from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry under the IP360 programme. Square Enix plans to have AI handle up to 70 % of its QA and debugging work by the end of 2027, aiming to reduce the growing workload of its developers and accelerate production cycles.