AI tools are moving deeper into the games industry, not just in code but inside the engines where games are built. Coplay, an AI copilot platform for Unity developers, is one of the companies pushing this shift. The startup recently became the official maintainer of the open-source Unity Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, launched a public beta for its own platform, and added new feature Orchestrator Mode, and expanded AI integration.The moves reflect a growing interest in using AI to simplify the complex, repetitive work of game creation. But it also raises questions about what role AI should play in games development, how open-source tools will be supported, and what the long-term impact might be on skills and workflows. To explore these issues, Developer Tech News spoke with Coplay CEO and co-founder Jos van der Westhuizen.The Unity MCP server was originally created by Justin Barnett, a Unity VR developer and content creator. It quickly gained traction as a way for LLMs to communicate directly with Unity, allowing AI copilots to handle in-engine tasks that once required manual work. As its popularity grew, maintaining the project became too large for a single developer. Coplay stepped in as the steward of the project, with Barnett joining the company to help shape MCP and Coplay’s roadmap.For Westhuizen, the step was about ensuring stability for the community as much as for Coplay itself. “We’ve admired what Justin built with Unity MCP and how the community has rallied around it,” he said. “By stepping in as its official steward, we’re helping ensure that Unity developers have a reliable and continually improving gateway to AI-powered workflows, whether they use Coplay or not.”Automating the engine side of development“Game developers spend roughly half their time in code and the other half inside a game engine like Unity,” he said. “While engines are powerful, they often have deeply nested, point-and-click interfaces that make many tasks tedious. Tools like Cursor remove much of the mundane tasks on the coding side. Unity MCP brings that same efficiency to the game engine side by letting LLMs directly communicate with and control the engine – automating repetitive tasks and accelerating development.”Coplay CEO and co-founder Jos van der Westhuizen.“Game developers spend roughly half their time in code and the other half inside a game engine like Unity,” he said. “While engines are powerful, they often have deeply nested, point-and-click interfaces that make many tasks tedious. Tools like Cursor remove much of the mundane tasks on the coding side. Unity MCP brings that same efficiency to the game engine side by enabling LLMs to directly communicate with and control the engine—automating repetitive tasks and accelerating development.”With MCP, AI can manipulate terrain, assets, textures, and prefabs; design and edit in-engine UI; connect assets to scripts; optimise performance; debug, and repeat workflows automatically. “Essentially this newer generation of game engine copilots allows you to build complete games inside game engines using AI,” Westhuizen said.But he acknowledged there are still gaps. While code editors can predict a developer’s next move with autocomplete features, Unity lacks a similar AI layer. “Unlike code editors with tab-complete, game engines lack an AI integration that can anticipate your next move based on context and make suggestions in real time. That’s a feature the industry sorely needs,” he said.Coplay’s product visionAlongside its stewardship of MCP, Coplay is expanding its own AI copilot platform. The company recently opened its public beta after an invite-only phase that saw strong use among AAA studios and indie teams. According to Westhuizen, Coplay’s system is now completing thousands of Unity development tasks each week through natural language commands.Recent updates highlight the company’s broader direction:
- Orchestrator Mode, which executes multi-step tasks from a single game design document or prompt.
- Expanded AI integrations, including image generation and 3D model support to streamline asset pipelines.
- Agentic task execution, where AI agents can manage long-running or asynchronous processes inside Unity.
Westhuizen said these features are about rethinking how creative software functions. “We’re not just building a feature, we’re building a new interface for how creative software should work,” he said. “By removing friction and giving developers real agency through AI, we’re unlocking a new era of game creation.”Balancing craft and creativityOne concern often raised about AI is whether it could weaken developers’ core skills. Westhuizen sees the issue differently, suggesting that AI copilots serve different needs depending on the type of developer.“Craft-focused developers know exactly what to do and use AI to remove repetitive work, freeing them to focus on complex challenges and learn new skills,” he said. “Design-focused developers understand game development but use AI primarily to test ideas quickly and spend more time on creative design than on coding. Both skill sets are valuable, and AI strengthens each in different ways. Our advice: follow your curiosity. If the AI does something unfamiliar, use it as a learning moment to understand why and how it worked.”Barriers to adoptionWhile most studios now use some form of AI copilot or code review tool, full adoption isn’t universal. Large studios are cautious about integrating AI for asset generation or engine copilots due to intellectual property and compliance concerns. Indie developers, meanwhile, often hesitate because the tools don’t always match the speed or quality of an experienced coder.Westhuizen expects these concerns to fade as technology matures. “Both barriers will diminish as quality improves and compliance solutions mature,” he said.Sustaining open sourceMaintaining open-source projects over time can be challenging, but Westhuizen said Unity MCP has strong community backing. “The Unity MCP project is already self-sustaining, supported by an active and growing community (special thanks to David Sarno and Shutong Wu). We’ve built a place where all maintainers and the community can share ideas of how the project can grow,” he said. “As long as Coplay exists, we’ll ensure this is the most up-to-date and well-maintained version in its category. If Coplay were ever to sunset, the repository would remain open source for the community to carry forward.”Looking to the futureFor Westhuizen, the most transformative shift will come from agentic AI capable of handling multi-step orchestration. That capability could open game development to people well beyond the current developer base.“With around 11 million active game developers today, copilots are already transforming workflows. But the real revolution is when any of the world’s 7 billion people with a game idea can see it built in an engine and edit it visually – no coding barrier,” he said.Achieving that vision will take time, but developers are experimenting with orchestrated prompts that execute complex sequences automatically, cutting hours of work down to minutes. For some, this means faster iteration on game mechanics. For others, it means being able to prototype entire levels or features without needing to dig into Unity’s menus.As Westhuizen sees it, the shift isn’t about replacing developers but about reshaping their relationship with the tools they use. Coplay’s role, he argues, is to make sure those tools reduce friction, support creativity, and give developers more control.For now, the combination of open-source stewardship and platform updates shows where Coplay is placing its bets. But the bigger story lies in the future Westhuizen describes – one where AI copilots don’t just speed up experienced developers but open the door for anyone with a game idea to bring it to life.(Photo by Florian Olivo)See also: Embrace AI or leave career, say developersLooking to revamp your digital transformation strategy? Learn more about Digital Transformation Week taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with IoT Tech Expo, AI & Big Data Expo, Cyber Security & Cloud Expo, and other leading events.Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.
Source: developer-tech.com
