We launched Outleap, a retro-inspired arcade game built entirely with AI. Inspired by classics like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the game brings the agency's mantra to life, where players take on slow dinosaur agencies stuck in the past.
Created to showcase what happens when creativity meets technology, Outleap marks a new kind of agency project that blurs the line between storytelling, design, and code. What started as an internal idea quickly became a playable proof of how AI can make big ideas move faster.
Design and Visuals
Every visual element in Outleap was generated using AI, guided by human direction and taste. The team used Midjourney, Runway, Photoshop AI, Ludo.AI, ChatGPT, and Gemini (Nano Banana) to build everything from interface elements to animations and effects. This also included game environments like backgrounds and health bars.
"AI made it possible to bring this idea to life faster than we could have otherwise," said Haeun Kim, Associate Creative Director. "It took what would have been a complex, time-intensive build and made it something we could actually produce in weeks."
The result is a mix of nostalgic arcade design and modern AI craft, combining the visual punch of 90s fighting games with the agility of today's technology.
Characters and Sprites
The character creation process began with Midjourney and ChatGPT, which the team used to develop the initial characters and effects in static form. Once the visual direction was locked, these assets were brought into Ludo.AI to generate 2D side-scroll style sprite sheets featuring a full range of actions such as block, kick, and punch. A key priority was finding a tool that allowed the team to upload their own original designs and produce multiple animated actions with consistent visual quality across each sprite sheet.
Music
Even the soundtrack was AI-generated, created with Suno to match the pulse and energy of classic 8-bit arcade soundtracks. Each track was refined by the creative team to give it the right blend of retro tension and forward motion. The audio became more than background. It served as another storytelling layer, reinforcing the theme of speed, movement, and evolution.
Coding and Build
Once the art and audio were complete, Jason Wilbur, Creative Technologist, led the coding process using AI programming tools to generate and refine the gameplay mechanics. But building a playable proof of concept and a production-ready game are two different things. Wilbur used a Spec-Driven Development approach, mapping out the game's architecture, logic, and component structure before feeding AI one scoped task at a time.
"AI gives you speed. Expertise gives you direction. Without both, you're just building the wrong thing faster." Wilbur said. This approach turned the concept into a scalable, production-level arcade experience in a fraction of the usual time.
We did what we always do for our clients and for ourselves. We took a big swing. In this case, that swing was an uppercut to the jaw of a dinosaur. The future of creativity doesn't belong to those who stand still. It belongs to those who outleap. In a world of dinosaurs, it is good to be a frog.
AI Tools used: Midjourney, Runway, Photoshop AI, Ludo.AI, ChatGPT, Gemini (Nano Banana), Suno, Cursor, and Claude.
FAQ
What is Outleap the video game?
Outleap is a retro-inspired arcade video game created by StrawberryFrog using a full suite of AI tools. In the game, players take on dinosaur agencies stuck in the past.
Why did StrawberryFrog make a video game?
AI is changing how creativity happens. Outleap was built to show what's possible when an agency is agile, bold, and unafraid to experiment with new technology.
How was the game made?
Every element, from character design to coding, was created with AI tools. These tools helped generate characters, animations, sound, and even the game's core code.
How long did it take to build?
Thanks to AI-assisted design and coding, the team built Outleap in a matter of weeks, far faster than a traditional game development process.
Quick Look
StrawberryFrog created Outleap, a retro-style video game built entirely with AI tools, showing how agility and innovation can outleap the old "dinosaur" agencies. Using platforms like Midjourney, Runway, Ludo.AI, ChatGPT, and more, the team brought the game to life in weeks, proving how AI can power bolder and more agile creativity.