4.9 KiB
Codex Game Studio
Turn a Codex session into a structured, local-first game studio.
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Codex Game Studio is a TypeScript CLI for running game-development work through Codex with a studio-shaped workspace: roles, workflow prompts, project files, task state, and validation live in ordinary Git-reviewable files.
It is not a game engine and not a hosted project manager. It gives Codex a clearer contract for production, design, engineering, QA, art, audio, localization, and release work while leaving creative decisions and review with you.
Quick start
Requirements: Node.js 24 or newer. The Codex CLI is required for run <role>.
git clone git@github.com:merlinhu1/codex-game-studio.git
cd codex-game-studio
npm install
npm run build
./codex-game-studio init --name "Signal Cartographer" --engine godot --mode prototype --non-interactive \
--concept "A compact puzzle game about routing trains through haunted switchyards"
./codex-game-studio status --project projects/signal-cartographer
./codex-game-studio validate --project projects/signal-cartographer
To inspect a role prompt before launching Codex:
./codex-game-studio run producer --project projects/signal-cartographer \
"Create the initial market overview." --print-prompt
For command-by-command usage, see the User Guide.
Why this exists
A blank AI coding chat is flexible, but game development needs repeatable studio structure:
- Producers need milestones, handoffs, and release checks.
- Designers need GDDs, systems specs, player journeys, and tuning loops.
- Engineers need bounded implementation prompts and validation gates.
- Artists, QA, audio, localization, and live-ops work need their own context.
- Reviewers need files they can inspect in Git, not decisions trapped in chat history.
Codex Game Studio turns that structure into local project artifacts that Codex can read and humans can review.
What you get
| Capability | What it means |
|---|---|
| Local project scaffolding | Creates deterministic game workspaces under projects/<slug>/. |
| Codex-native studio roles | Generates focused role prompts for production, design, engineering, art, QA, localization, and release work. |
| Workflow prompts | Provides reusable prompts for market review, analytics, specs, handoffs, ship checks, UI review, and more. |
| Engine overlays | Adds Godot, Unity, or Unreal context without turning this project into an engine wrapper. |
| File-backed task state | Stores explicit tasks, locks, and run metadata under .codex/**. |
| Inspection before execution | Supports dry-run and prompt-print paths before Codex touches a project. |
| Hard-failing validation | Detects stale generated surfaces, malformed metadata, missing assets, and future-only CLI drift. |
The studio loop
flowchart LR
A[Idea] --> B[Init project]
B --> C[Generated studio files]
C --> D[Inspect prompt]
D --> E[Run Codex role]
E --> F[Review output]
F --> G[Validate]
G --> C
The generated project is the contract. It contains the project summary, engine context, role prompts, workflow prompts, starter production docs, and validation metadata that keep later Codex sessions grounded.
Where details live
| Need | Start here |
|---|---|
| Install, commands, workflows, validation | User Guide |
| Role catalog and when to use each role | Studio Roles |
| Generated project tree and file ownership | Project Anatomy |
| Realistic usage scenarios | Examples |
| Contributor workflow and checks | Development |
| Full documentation map | Docs Index |
| Product boundaries and non-goals | Product Boundary |
| Differences from Claude Code Game Studios | Migration from Claude |
Project status
Codex Game Studio currently supports deterministic project scaffolding, Codex role execution, workflow prompt rendering, file-backed task orchestration, and repository/project validation.
The project deliberately does not expose a planner or next command, telemetry, hosted orchestration, unbounded parallelism, hard output-ownership enforcement, or generated CODEX.md / project_orchestrator.md surfaces. See Known Upstream Differences for migration details.
License
Codex Game Studio is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE.