How we leveled up a 3D demo into a playable game

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This wasn't supposed to be a game.

The original brief was simple: create a short promo showcasing Leonardo's new AI 3D generation capabilities powered by Rodin V2.

But somewhere along the way, a giant wandering through the Scottish Highlands refused to stay inside a 15-second video.

What began as a playful image experiment became a short animation. That animation inspired a 3D character. The 3D character became a game prototype. A few weeks later, our team had built a fully playable browser game where players race through the Highlands, dodge falling rocks, compete for high scores, and join tartan clans.

The project became an exercise in creative exploration.

Using Rodin V2, AI-assisted coding workflows, and browser-based technologies, the team moved quickly from concept to prototype, testing ideas as they went. Not every experiment made it into the final game, but each one helped shape what the project eventually became.

One of the biggest lessons was that AI works best as a creative force multiplier.

The goal wasn't to generate a finished game at the press of a button. It was to explore ideas faster, iterate more freely, and spend more time making creative decisions.

As designer and creative content lead Ayumi Umehara puts it:

The result is a game that wasn't in the brief, but probably couldn't have existed without following the idea wherever it led. See how it all came together, and take a look behind the scenes.