Vertical Slice Sprint
Turn a defined concept into a focused playable proof with clear scope and production notes.
← MARTINEZ AI STUDIOS 2.0
AI GAME PRODUCTION
Move from game concept to playable proof faster.
We use frontier AI as a production instrument while keeping creative direction, canon, approvals and release decisions human-owned.
01 / WHO IT IS FOR
Independent creators, IP owners, small studios and teams that need a vertical slice, production system or rapid concept validation.
02 / THE PROBLEM
A game idea can stall between concept, design documentation, assets, code, UI, audio and QA. AI can compress iteration when the production is directed as a system instead of a pile of generations.
03 / TARGET OUTCOMES
01Faster concept-to-prototype iteration
02Coherent production documentation
03Reusable asset and content pipelines
04Earlier validation of gameplay and scope
Concrete use cases.
We start with a bounded outcome. Architecture comes after.
AI Production Pipeline
Design how agents, engine work, 3D, audio and content hand off without losing canon or QA.
Game Bible + Build Plan
Convert a creative concept into systems, scenes, asset requirements, technical constraints and production packages.
Prototype Rescue
Inspect an existing prototype, identify what is reusable and create a prioritized path back to a coherent build.
04 / WHAT WE DELIVER
A capability, not an empty demo.
- +GDD / production bible
- +Playable prototype scope
- +Asset and content pipeline
- +Agent work packages
- +QA and acceptance criteria
- +Release-readiness backlog
05 / HOW WE WORK
Direct
Lock the player promise, core loop and non-negotiables.
Package
Break the work into agent-ready production units.
Build
Create and integrate the smallest playable proof.
Review
Human review decides what survives, changes or ships.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE / NOT A CLIENT CASE
A playable quest that survives saving and loading
A game-production workflow must connect writing to state, input, assets and player feedback. More generated dialogue does not help when a quest contradicts a previous choice or a saved game cannot restore the scene. Start from a small playable loop.
The scenario
Consider a short quest with a choice, a reward and a return visit. The pilot combines a human-authored narrative outline with assisted dialogue variants and implementation. Its goal is a coherent playable slice, not a promise of a complete game.
Information needed
- A narrative bible, character intent and the rules of the scene.
- An explicit state model and inventory of licensed assets.
- Target controls, save behavior and acceptance examples.
Write the state contract
Name the decisions and consequences before generating variants. Define which state owns completion, reward delivery and dialogue availability.
Produce and integrate
Create a reviewed set of text, visual and audio assets, then connect them to the playable scene. Check continuity, credits and the role of each asset.
Play the awkward paths
Test cancellation, repeated interaction, saving before a choice and loading after the reward. Observe the actual game, not just a successful build.
What a useful handoff looks like
A playable build, state diagram, asset manifest and reproducible checks for the scene. The next slice can reuse the verified conventions.
FROM EXAMPLE TO PILOT
Test before expanding the scope.
Narrative continuity
Return after different choices and compare dialogue, available actions and world state. Mark contradictions as defects rather than adding explanatory text around them.
Persistence and input
Repeat the flow with keyboard or controller where supported. Save and reload at boundaries; confirm a reward cannot be lost or collected twice.
What to measure
- Reproducible defects and paths covered by playtesting.
- Continuity corrections and rejected asset variants.
- Load behavior and responsiveness on the agreed target device.
When to stop and review
A trailer is not evidence of a playable system. Keep a project’s announced, in-development and released status explicit.
Start with a sample of the current work. Compare equivalent tasks, record human corrections and agree acceptance criteria before attributing an improvement to the system.
What we can learn from other companies.
Public references for studying design decisions. These companies and practitioners are not clients, partners or endorsers of Martinez AI Studios. The studio’s observations are interpretations, not promised results.
EXTERNAL REFERENCE / Ubisoft La Forge
Ghostwriter: first drafts for narrative designers
Ubisoft introduced Ghostwriter as a research tool for drafting short NPC reactions known as barks. Writers supply intent and work with generated suggestions. The article describes assistance for a specific writing task; it is not evidence that complete games or narratives can be delegated without creative direction.
Our reading: start with a small content unit, then keep editorial ownership and continuity checks explicit.
Read the source: Ubisoft · R&D article ↗ · Reviewed 2026-09-21
Production evidence.
Internal CONTRABAND cases on debugging, review and testing. They document our process, not client results.
Questions before we build.
Is the game generated automatically?
No. AI accelerates parts of production; a coherent game still requires direction, integration, testing and decisions.
Can you work with an existing project?
Yes, provided the project and assets can be inspected and the ownership/permissions are clear.
What is the best first deliverable?
Usually a tightly scoped vertical slice or technical prototype that proves the hardest part of the concept.
07 / NEXT STEP
Describe the problem. We design the path.
You do not need to choose models, frameworks or protocols. Tell us the process, the friction and the outcome you want.