Observed Signal · Aug 13, 2026 · Conference Talk · Source: PocketGamer.biz · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Zynga's Javi Digiorgio on Keeping Creatives Productive
Javi Digiorgio, associate creative director at Zynga, spoke at Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona about sustaining creative-team performance under high UA volume and industry pressure. He framed his approach as 'something old, something new, something borrowed': reuse and upskill existing talent, filter and measure new opportunities, and learn from peers. Digiorgio urged teams to let data — not personal taste — decide creative direction, highlighted the growing necessity of playable ads and high-volume iteration, and described how seeding AI with early adopters turned fear into curiosity, leading to team-driven AI initiatives including a Gemini-based social-scouting tool.
Practical guidance for creative teams and UA practitioners in gaming; operationally useful but not a platform policy or industry-shifting development.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Javi Digiorgio is associate creative director at Zynga and oversees creative strategy for live titles including Dragon City, Two Dots and Monster Legends.
- Digiorgio presented a three-part approach ('something old, something new, something borrowed') for creative resilience at Pocket Gamer Connects Barcelona.
- He argues creatives materially affect performance metrics (engagement, installs, IPMs, CPIs) and ROAS and recommends letting data, not personal taste, decide creative choices.
- He recommended upskilling existing artists to automate production (example: a workflow converting a six-second clip into 216 videos in ~20 minutes).
- Two years ago Zynga's team's AI use was limited; Digiorgio used early adopters to seed adoption, which resulted in team-driven AI initiatives such as a Gemini tool for scouting social trends.
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How Developers Are Using AI in Game Development
PocketGamer.biz surveys how game developers currently leverage AI across production, data analysis, and user acquisition, ahead of the AI Gamechangers Summit at Pocket Gamer Connects Nordics. Executives from MTG, NC/Veroplay, Fingersoft, Dodreams, Julicia Studio, and Mattel163 share concrete use cases: AI enables three games to be built instead of one (MTG), cuts creative costs by 20-30% (Veroplay), and improves data analysis and actionable insights (Dodreams). Mattel163 uses AI for pLTV modeling and ROAS prediction to optimize UA spend. Studios report cost reductions, faster workflows, and enhanced testing, while noting incremental gains in art and Unity development. Hypergryph's Arknights: Endfield uses almost no AI, starting before the hype. The article positions AI as a practical tool improving efficiency and creativity, not a replacement for talent.
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