Video Models for Game Pipelines (2025): Genie 3 vs. Runway Gen‑4/Aleph vs. Veo 3
Video models are getting more and more powerful, and their applicability expands beyond filmmaking. For game studios, they’re a powerful way to speed up cutscenes, previs, and even shot‑to‑scene workflows. The question isn’t “which model looks best?”—it’s “which model integrates best into a playable pipeline?”
This article compares Genie 3, Runway Gen‑4/Aleph, and Veo 3, breaking down control, consistency, audio, licensing, watermarking, speed, and cost. More importantly, we’ll show how to use each model inside Rosebud to turn videos into playable experiences.
Feature Comparison Matrix
Scenario Walkthroughs
1. Cutscene: Character Reveal → Player Control
Workflow:
- Use Veo 3 to produce a polished 10–30 s cutscene with full audio. You can do this directly at rosebud.ai/gen, and overlay decision nodes (choose your own story-style gameplay).
- To create a more advanced game, export the created video asset and move them to a 2D/3D game in Rosebud.
- Overlay interactive logic, and fade into gameplay.
What to Try in Rosebud:
Prompt: "Trigger player control when character turns to the camera at 0:20."
Tip: You can find all videos generated by Veo3 in Rosebud’s code tab. Rosebud hosts these for you, so you can copy & paste the link across projects.
2. Animatic: Storyboard‑to‑Scene Workflow
Workflow:
- Use Runway Gen‑4 for consistent character/environment imagery across a multi‑shot storyboard.
- Sequence in Rosebud to animate transitions and test pacing. Do this by uploading your reference image/video at every step of the video generation.
What to Try in Rosebud:
Prompt: "Maintain character's outfit and lighting while switching from close‑up to wide shot."
Tip: Use Gen‑4 frames in Rosebud’s sequence editor; set camera pans to mimic previs pacing.
3. B‑Roll / Environmental Loop
Workflow:
- Use Runway Aleph to refine or re‑light an existing shot.
- Import loop into Rosebud as a background element behind UI or cutscenes.
What to Try in Rosebud:
Prompt: "Loop environmental scene with slow pan and depth‑of‑field fade."
Tip: Define loop markers in Rosebud and apply depth effects for immersion.
Veo 3: Watermarking & Licensing
- Visible watermark: Most Veo 3 outputs include a “Veo” label. Only Ultra‑tier users in Flow can export without it.
- Invisible watermark: SynthID embedding applies to all outputs, even those without visible watermarks.
- Licensing: Available via Gemini API (Pro/Ultra plans). For commercial cutscenes, review indemnity clauses carefully.
For details: Google Blog on Veo 3
Why Rosebud is the Missing Piece
All three models produce video. None produce playable cutscenes out of the box. Rosebud adds:
- Interactivity → overlay game logic on video models.
- Browser‑native deployment → runs instantly, no installs.
- Pipeline flexibility → swap in Genie, Runway, or Veo outputs interchangeably.
- Subscription model tailored to game devs and teams → With Scale 2, unlock unlimited prompts and access to a wide range of video models to swap between, all in one place.
This means studios can start with whichever model fits their workflow, and Rosebud ensures it becomes playable content.
Need More Help With Game Making?
- How to Animate 3D Models for Games
- How to Create a Survival Horror Game Online
- What Is a Game Texture?
Final Thoughts
The key takeaway for studios is that Genie 3, Runway Gen‑4/Aleph, and Veo 3 all excel in different parts of the pipeline, but none of them alone deliver interactivity. Genie points toward procedural, real‑time scenes. Runway models are strongest at visual consistency for previs and b‑roll. Veo adds audio and cinematic polish, but with licensing and watermark constraints. Rosebud is where they become playable. By layering logic, interactivity, and browser‑native deployment, Rosebud turns video into game content.
Ready to test video models inside a playable pipeline? Turn cutscenes, previs, and b‑roll into interactive scenes directly in the browser.
👉 Start building today at rosebud.ai.