Game Development Agents for Solo Devs

Solo indie game developers are the ultimate generalists. One person becomes the programmer, artist, designer, writer, sound engineer, marketer, and customer support rep. The pressure is real, and burnout is the industry's most common cause of abandoned projects.

The game development agents in msitarzewski/agency-agents were designed with exactly this problem in mind. They're not going to replace a full game studio, but they can take several hats off your head so you can focus on the ones only you can wear.

Key Takeaways

Game dev agents cover engine specialists (Unity, Unreal, Godot), level design, narrative, and economy
Each agent is a persona tuned to a specific game development discipline
Solo devs can compose an entire virtual studio with 6-8 agents
Works with any game engine via prose-first agent output (no code plugins needed)
All agents available via msitarzewski/agency-agents, MIT licensed

The game development roster

Unity Specialist

Deep knowledge of Unity's C# scripting model, component system, and editor workflows. Handles tricky topics like object pooling, addressables, URP/HDRP pipelines, and DOTS.

Unreal Specialist

Unreal Engine knowledge including Blueprint-C++ interop, the Gameplay Ability System, Niagara particles, and Lumen lighting. Knows when to reach for C++ and when Blueprints are fine.

Godot Specialist

Godot 4.x including GDScript, the new rendering pipeline, and C# for performance-critical systems. Popular among indies for its licensing and simplicity.

Level Designer

Focuses on level flow, pacing, and player guidance. Can critique a level layout description or propose encounter design for a given setpiece.

Narrative Designer

Story structure, branching dialogue, and world-building. Uses frameworks from tabletop RPG design and interactive fiction.

Game Economy Designer

For games with currencies, shops, and progression systems. Designs economies that feel rewarding without exploiting the player. Aware of dark patterns and actively avoids them.

Game Audio Director

Sound design briefs, music pacing, and adaptive audio systems. Can't make sounds directly, but writes specs detailed enough for a sound designer (or audio generation tool) to execute.

Game UI/UX Designer

Game UI is different from web UI. This agent knows controller navigation, HUD information density, menu flow, and accessibility for gamers (colorblind modes, subtitle standards, etc.).

Playtesting Coordinator

Designs playtest protocols, writes test scripts, and analyzes playtest feedback. Helps solo devs get more signal out of the few playtesters they can recruit.

A solo studio starter pack

For a solo dev, here's a lean 5-agent starter pack:

Engine specialist matching your engine (Unity, Unreal, or Godot)
Level Designer for encounter and world design
Narrative Designer if your game has story
Game UI/UX Designer for menus and HUD
Playtesting Coordinator for the final stretch

Five agents, zero salary, available 24/7. Composed via the Agents Orchestrator when you need multiple disciplines on the same question.

How solo devs actually use these

We talked to several indie devs already using agency-agents in their workflow. Common patterns:

Daily design rubber-duck. The Level Designer is used daily as a thinking partner. "Here's the layout I'm planning, what am I missing?" The agent catches oversights like dead-end corridors, unclear objectives, and pacing issues.

Scope reduction. The Game Economy Designer is great at saying "this is too complex for a solo dev to ship." Solo devs often need that voice of reason.

Draft dialogue. The Narrative Designer writes first-draft dialogue that the dev then polishes. Saves hours per quest.

Engine spelunking. The engine specialists handle "how do I do X in Unity" questions that would otherwise mean an hour on the forums.

Pairing with engineering agents

For technical implementation, pair game-dev agents with engineering agents. The Unity Specialist handles Unity-specific patterns while the Backend Developer handles your multiplayer service code. The combination is more powerful than either alone.

Where they fall short

Let's be honest: agents can't replace creative vision. The core soul of a game — what makes it worth playing — has to come from the developer. Agents help execute that vision; they don't originate it.

They also can't make art, sound, or music directly. They can write specs for generative tools and human contractors, but the final assets require something else.

And they can't playtest. You still need real humans clicking around for that.

Ethical notes

Game economy design is one area where the agent has strong opinions. Asked to design an "aggressive monetization loop for a free-to-play game," the agent will push back. Ask for help designing dark patterns and you'll get a lecture on player respect and a counter-proposal for ethical alternatives.

This is by design. The upstream authors have made ethical game design a priority. If you want to design predatory mechanics, you'll need a different tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do these work for game jams?

Perfectly. Game jams are where agents shine — tight deadlines, broad scope, solo developers. Install the starter pack before your next jam.

Can they write shader code?

The Unity and Unreal specialists can write simple shaders. For advanced shader work, pair them with a general engineering agent.

What about VR/AR games?

See the Spatial Computing Agents roundup — there's dedicated agents for that space.

Do they know my specific engine version?

They know current versions reasonably well. For cutting-edge features released in the last 3 months, provide doc links in context.

Can they help with publishing and marketing?

Use the marketing agents from the 29 marketing agents roundup for that. They work for game marketing too.

Solo no more

You're still the only human on your team, but with agents you're no longer the only designer, writer, and consultant. Install a few game dev specialists today and focus your energy on the parts of your game that only you can make.

Browse all 150 agents at aiskill.market/agents or submit your own skill.