Unity vs Phaser

Agent access

1. ai-native userPoint an agent at llms.txt or agent-oriented docs

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity~partialprobed5/10

   unity.com serves a root llms.txt file (unity-docs-15, unity-docs-16, unity-probe-rt-2) that an agent could be pointed at, but the actual technical documentation site (docs.unity3d.com) returns 404 for llms.txt and has no markdown mirrors of manual pages (unity-probe-1, unity-probe-2, unity-probe-rt-2), so agent-oriented docs coverage is only marketing-site-deep. missing for 10: llms.txt or agent-readable docs covering the actual API/manual reference (docs.unity3d.com), evidence of agents successfully consuming these docs in practice.

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity’s free plan, Unity Personal, is for individuals and small organizations with less than $100K of revenue and funds raised in the last 1…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create and optimize high-end games and interactive experiences. Bring your team’s vision to life with Unity’s real-time development platform…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): unity.com serves a site-root llms.txt ('# Unity — Develop, deploy, and grow with Unity...'), but docs.u…”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/index.html.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialprobed6/10

   A live llms.txt was found at phaser.io/llms.txt (an examples-API index) and Phaser Studio publishes agent-oriented docs/MCP server pages (phaser.io/agent/mcp) explicitly for connecting coding agents, but the more commonly probed docs.phaser.io/llms.txt returns 404 and the site root 403s non-browser clients, requiring a browser UA and precise deep links to succeed. Missing for 10: a consistently discoverable llms.txt across the main docs domain, no 403/404 friction for automated agent fetches, and independent confirmation that agents can reliably ingest these docs.

   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.phaser.io/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userRun the product headlessly / in CI for automation

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullprobed8/10

   Unity's Editor and Player support extensive command-line arguments (unity-docs-6, unity-docs-7) including an explicit headless mode with no display/input (unity-docs-8), enabling automation and CI pipelines; Unity Hub is also installable headlessly via package managers (unity-probe-rt-3), supporting real-world CI build setups. One community report notes cost barriers to setting up a CI build server (unity-comm-13), but this is a licensing/cost complaint rather than a technical failure of headless capability. Missing for 10: independent hands-on verification of a full CI pipeline example and more detail on batchmode build automation scripts.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity Hub installs keylessly from Homebrew (cask unity-hub 3.21.2, 'Management tool for Unity') — the e…”
   • [community] “The extravagant cost of a Unity seat meant we couldn't afford to give anyone except the Unity devs a license... For the same reason, we coul…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers installation, scenes, physics, animations, editor and MCP agent features, but nothing addresses headless execution or CI-based automation for Phaser games/tests. Since browser-based game engines can in principle support headless rendering or CI test harnesses, this is a fair but unaddressed axis rather than a category error.

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userConnect an agent via an official MCP server

   weight 3 · round to Phaser
   Unity~partialprobed6/10

   Unity ships an official MCP server (unity-mcp-get-started docs, unity.com/features/ai 'View MCP Docs') bundled in the com.unity.ai.assistant package, letting agents connect to the Editor. However it's beta, closed-source with no public repo or standalone package (no keyless handshake), and AI usage is metered via Unity Credits, while the much larger community MCP (CoplayDev/unity-mcp, 14k+ stars) suggests the official one is not the primary integration path. Missing for 10: open-source/self-hostable server, GA (non-beta) status, broader independent adoption evidence of the official server itself.

   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Whenever you generate an image, create a 3D model, produce a sound effect, or send a message to the Assistant, you spend Unity Credits from …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed7/10

   Phaser Studio ships an official 'Phaser Game Agent' MCP server (phaser.io/agent/mcp) documented with 40+ specialized tools and explicit integration with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot, letting external agents connect and build games via plain-language commands. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on community validation that the MCP server works as advertised, and clarity on self-hosted/npm distribution (probe found no @phaserjs MCP package on npm, only a hosted endpoint).

   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Give the player a double-jump and a coin counter.The jump feels floaty, make gravity stronger.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userUse an official CLI

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullprobed7/10

   Unity ships a well-documented official CLI for the Editor and Player, supporting batch/headless mode, custom arguments, and automated build workflows (unity-docs-6/7/8/9, unity-probe-5), which is exactly the kind of scriptable interface an AI agent could drive for CI/automation. Missing for 10: no AI-specific CLI tooling and the docs aren't machine-readable (llms.txt/.md mirrors 404 per unity-probe-rt-2), limiting direct agent ingestion of the CLI reference itself.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity can build your application for different platforms with unique build configurations using build profiles in the Unity Editor.”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): unity.com serves a site-root llms.txt ('# Unity — Develop, deploy, and grow with Unity...'), but docs.u…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialclaimed5/10

   Phaser docs confirm an official CLI tool for scaffolding projects (interactive selection of templates/demo games), which counts as an official CLI, but it is described as interactive Q&A rather than a scriptable/agent-friendly interface, and there's no documentation of flags or non-interactive mode suited for AI-native automated use. missing for 10: evidence of non-interactive/programmatic CLI flags, AI-agent-oriented CLI documentation, and independent confirmation of CLI usability by agents.

   • [claimed-docs] “This CLI tool presents an interactive selection of official project templates and demo games.”
   • [claimed-docs] “This CLI tool presents an interactive selection of official project templates and demo games. Issue the command, answer some questions and t…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

5. ai-native userDrive the product through a documented public API

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Unity✓fullprobed8/10

   Unity ships an extensively documented public Scripting API for editor/runtime automation, plus documented command-line/batchmode interfaces for headless CI-driven builds, and an official MCP server (com.unity.ai.assistant) explicitly for AI-driven control of the editor, corroborated by community MCP adoption. This goes beyond a typical closed product and gives AI-native users multiple documented, programmatic entry points. Missing for 10: a formal OpenAPI/REST spec (docs.unity3d.com openapi probes 404) and independent hands-on validation of the MCP server's completeness.

   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity Hub installs keylessly from Homebrew (cask unity-hub 3.21.2, 'Management tool for Unity') — the e…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed8/10

   Phaser ships an extensive, versioned public JS/TS API (Scenes, physics, input, loader, animations) documented at docs.phaser.io with full TypeScript definitions, which is exactly the kind of documented public API an AI agent needs to generate/drive game code programmatically; the runtime probe also shows phaser.io/llms.txt now serving a live, programmatic examples-API index tailored for AI consumption. Missing for 10: a formal machine-readable spec (OpenAPI) for the core API surface — probes show OpenAPI/swagger endpoints all 404 — so discovery still relies on human-oriented docs rather than a fully machine-consumable contract.

   • [claimed-docs] “Full TypeScript definitions can be found inside the types folder”
   • [claimed-docs] “This will allow you to control the Sprite using the built-in physics functions, such as velocity, acceleration, gravity, etc.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Phaser maintains a unified input system that works across all browsers and devices.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Common asset types include images, texture atlases, sprite sheets, fonts, audio files and JSON data, but there are many more that Phaser can…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Animations are created via the Animation Manager.”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.phaser.io/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.phaser.io/openapi.json, https://docs.phaser.io/swagger.json, https://docs.phaser.io/api…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

6. ai-native userBuild against official SDKs

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity✓fullprobed7/10

   Unity documents extensive official SDK-style surfaces: the public Scripting API for direct C# integration (unity-docs-11), the Package Manager ecosystem for extending functionality (unity-docs-13), editor extensibility APIs (unity-docs-10), and CLI/automation hooks for headless and CI workflows (unity-docs-6,7,8,9, unity-probe-5). It also ships an official MCP server for AI-assistant integration (unity-probe-4, unity-probe-rt-1), directly relevant to AI-native usage, though distribution is closed (no public repo) and metered via credits rather than a keyless open SDK. Missing for 10: no dedicated multi-language SDK page, no OpenAPI/REST spec (probes show 404s), and no llms.txt/markdown mirror on the actual docs site (only on unity.com marketing pages).

   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity can build your application for different platforms with unique build configurations using build profiles in the Unity Editor.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): unity.com serves a site-root llms.txt ('# Unity — Develop, deploy, and grow with Unity...'), but docs.u…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullcommunity8/10

   Phaser itself is the official SDK: it's distributed via npm, an official CLI, a CDN, and ships full TypeScript definitions, all documented in first-party docs and corroborated by community usage (games built in JS/TS, TypeScript experience feedback). Missing for 10: independent/third-party audit of the SDK's completeness and explicit multi-platform SDK packaging (e.g., official native wrappers) beyond docs claims.

   • [claimed-docs] “npm install phaser”
   • [claimed-docs] “Full TypeScript definitions can be found inside the types folder”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install via [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/phaser): npm install phaser”
   • [claimed-docs] “This CLI tool presents an interactive selection of official project templates and demo games. Issue the command, answer some questions and t…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Phaser is on jsDelivr which is a "super-fast CDN for developers". Include _either_ of the following in your html”
   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”
   • [community] “I've spent the past 6 months building a game using Phaser and TypeScript. On the whole, it's been a great experience... one of the worst par…”
   • [community] “Phaser 4 was announced ~four years ago and was an attempt to get the project written natively in TypeScript. It looks pretty dead in the wat…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agentic features

1. ai-native userGet AI-generated insights and suggestions from my data inside the product

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialprobed5/10

   Unity ships an in-editor AI Assistant (part of com.unity.ai.assistant, metered via Unity Credits) that can chat, generate images/3D models/sound effects, suggesting some AI-driven help inside the editor, and this is corroborated by a live MCP integration for the Assistant. However, evidence never shows the Assistant producing analytical 'insights' from a user's own project data (e.g., analytics, performance suggestions) — it's framed as generative-content assistance rather than data-driven insight generation. Missing for 10: dedicated documentation of data-analysis/insight features, independent hands-on validation of insight quality, and detail beyond generic 'send a message to the Assistant.'

   • [claimed-docs] “Whenever you generate an image, create a 3D model, produce a sound effect, or send a message to the Assistant, you spend Unity Credits from …”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

2. ai-native userSet up automations that run autonomously in the background

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialprobed5/10

   Unity supports background/unattended automation via documented CLI and headless-mode Editor/Player flags for CI-style builds (unity-docs-6/7/8, unity-probe-5, unity-probe-rt-3), and it also ships an official (beta) MCP server for AI-assistant integration (unity-probe-rt-1) that could drive agentic workflows. However, there's no evidence of built-in scheduling, triggers, or a persistent agent-orchestration layer — automation still requires external CI tooling or scripting rather than a native 'set-and-forget' automation feature. Missing for 10: native scheduling/trigger system, documented autonomous agent workflows beyond beta MCP, independent hands-on confirmation of unattended background runs.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity Hub installs keylessly from Homebrew (cask unity-hub 3.21.2, 'Management tool for Unity') — the e…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userDelegate tasks to a built-in AI assistant inside the product

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialprobed6/10

   Unity docs confirm a built-in AI Assistant (com.unity.ai.assistant) that lets users generate images, 3D models, sound effects, and chat with the Assistant directly inside the Editor, metered via Unity Credits — a genuine in-product AI delegate. However, the feature is explicitly beta, evidence is thin on scope/reliability, and no independent/hands-on corroboration of its usefulness exists. Missing for 10: independent hands-on validation of the Assistant's task quality, detail on task scope/limits beyond asset generation, and confirmation it is GA rather than beta.

   • [claimed-docs] “Whenever you generate an image, create a 3D model, produce a sound effect, or send a message to the Assistant, you spend Unity Credits from …”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   Phaser's AI-related evidence (phaser-docs-13/14/15) describes an MCP server that lets *external* coding agents (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Copilot) call Phaser Editor tools — the opposite relationship of a built-in assistant living inside the product that a user delegates tasks to. No evidence shows a native, in-product chat/assistant feature.

   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userOperate the product with natural-language commands

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity~partialprobed6/10

   Unity ships an official AI Assistant that accepts natural-language messages (consuming Unity Credits per message) and an official MCP server (beta) integrated into the Editor, per unity-docs-14 and unity-probe-rt-1, showing genuine natural-language operation of the tool. However this is explicitly beta, credit-metered, has no public/open repo (closed distribution), and there's no independent hands-on evidence of its reliability compared to the much larger community MCP project. Missing for 10: independent/hands-on validation of the Assistant's command execution, GA (non-beta) status, and documentation of the scope of natural-language commands it can actually perform.

   • [claimed-docs] “Whenever you generate an image, create a 3D model, produce a sound effect, or send a message to the Assistant, you spend Unity Credits from …”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed7/10

   Phaser ships an official hosted 'Game Agent' MCP server that lets users describe changes in plain language (e.g., 'Give the player a double-jump...') and have the agent call over 40 specialised tools inside the Scene Editor, integrating with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Copilot — directly matching natural-language operation. This is corroborated by a runtime probe confirming the live MCP endpoint at phaser.io/agent/mcp. Missing for 10: independent/community hands-on validation of the MCP agent's reliability and no npm-distributed MCP package (only hosted), so evidence is vendor-only.

   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Give the player a double-jump and a coin counter.The jump feels floaty, make gravity stronger.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Api quality

1. ai-native userExplore an interactive API reference with runnable examples

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   The docs manual and scripting reference exist, but there's no evidence of an interactive API reference with runnable/executable code examples — probes explicitly show no OpenAPI spec, no llms.txt/docs-md mirrors at docs.unity3d.com, and no interactive sandbox is mentioned anywhere in the pack.

   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.unity3d.com/openapi.json, https://docs.unity3d.com/swagger.json, https://docs.unity3d.c…”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/index.html.md”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): unity.com serves a site-root llms.txt ('# Unity — Develop, deploy, and grow with Unity...'), but docs.u…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialprobed5/10

   Community evidence confirms Phaser has an extensive examples library ('many examples and docs to work from' — phaser-comm-7), and a runtime probe shows docs.phaser.io/llms.txt now serves as a programmatic examples-API index with endpoints to fetch full source code per example (phaser-probe-rt-1), which is useful for AI-native exploration. However, there is no first-party evidence of an interactive, runnable-in-browser API reference (no OpenAPI/API-reference page found, docs-md and llms.txt initially 404'd per probes), so the story is only partially substantiated. Missing for 10: dedicated interactive API reference UI with live code execution, confirmation the examples API is documented/stable, independent hands-on account of using it.

   • [community] “I've made a couple toy projects with Phaser, after comparing other Javascript based 2d engines. Phaser is the most fully featured amongst th…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.phaser.io/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://docs.phaser.io/phaser/getting-started/what-is-phaser.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userDownload a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent)

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   Unity is a game engine/editor, not an API-driven service, but the story asks specifically about a machine-readable API spec (OpenAPI or equivalent); probes explicitly confirm none exists — all candidate OpenAPI/Swagger paths return 404 and there is no llms.txt or docs-md mirror on the documentation domain. Since Unity does expose scripting/editor APIs and even MCP tooling, this axis is applicable to its ecosystem but the evidence shows the specific artifact is absent.

   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.unity3d.com/openapi.json, https://docs.unity3d.com/swagger.json, https://docs.unity3d.c…”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/index.html.md”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): unity.com serves a site-root llms.txt ('# Unity — Develop, deploy, and grow with Unity...'), but docs.u…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialprobed4/10

   Phaser ships full TypeScript type definitions (phaser-docs-4) which function as a machine-readable description of its API surface and can be consumed by tooling/agents, but there is no formal OpenAPI/Swagger spec or comprehensive llms.txt for the full API — probes confirm openapi.json/swagger.json 404 and the only live llms.txt is a narrow examples-index API, not a full API spec (phaser-probe-1, phaser-probe-3, phaser-probe-rt-1). missing for 10: a dedicated OpenAPI/JSON-schema style spec covering the full public API, and an official downloadable machine-readable spec beyond TS typings/examples index.

   • [claimed-docs] “Full TypeScript definitions can be found inside the types folder”
   • [probe] “PROBE llms.txt: HTTP 404 at https://docs.phaser.io/llms.txt”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.phaser.io/openapi.json, https://docs.phaser.io/swagger.json, https://docs.phaser.io/api…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userTest against a sandbox environment without touching production data

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   No evidence describes a sandbox/test environment for Unity's AI/MCP tooling that isolates test data from production; the pack only covers general Unity engine features, pricing controversy, and MCP server existence with no mention of sandbox vs. production data separation.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

4. ai-native userRely on versioned APIs with a documented deprecation policy

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   Evidence shows Unity exposes scripting/editor APIs and packages (unity-docs-11, unity-docs-13) but nothing documents a versioning scheme or deprecation policy for these APIs, and probes show no OpenAPI spec or machine-readable API docs (unity-probe-3, unity-probe-2). Missing for 10: any documented API versioning scheme, deprecation notices/timelines, or changelog policy for Unity's scripting/runtime APIs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.unity3d.com/openapi.json, https://docs.unity3d.com/swagger.json, https://docs.unity3d.c…”
   • [probe] “PROBE docs-md: HTTP 404 at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/index.html.md”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   No evidence of a documented deprecation policy, semver commitments, or API-stability guarantees; the only version-related evidence notes Phaser 2→3 broke compatibility ("States"... won't work in Phaser 3) with no stated migration/deprecation process, and probes found no OpenAPI/versioned docs artifacts.

   • [claimed-docs] “If you find any reference to States in code or a tutorial you've found online, it's for Phaser 2 and likely won't work in Phaser 3.”
   • [community] “Phaser 4 was announced ~four years ago and was an attempt to get the project written natively in TypeScript. It looks pretty dead in the wat…”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.phaser.io/openapi.json, https://docs.phaser.io/swagger.json, https://docs.phaser.io/api…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Agent editor

1. ai-native userAn agent can drive the editor and project programmatically — create scenes and nodes, edit properties, trigger builds — through a documented scriptable interface

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Unity✓fullprobed8/10

   Unity documents a comprehensive scripting/editor extension API (custom inspectors, EditorWindows, AssetDatabase, Package Manager) plus command-line/headless automation for builds (unity-docs-6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13), and ships an official MCP server for AI agents inside the com.unity.ai.assistant package with a dedicated get-started manual page (unity-probe-4, unity-probe-rt-1), reinforced by a large third-party community MCP server (14k+ stars) enabling agent-driven scene/property/build workflows. Missing for 10: no public repo/keyless access to the official MCP server (closed distribution, credit-metered) and no independent hands-on verification of an agent actually creating scenes/nodes end-to-end via the documented interface.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity can build your application for different platforms with unique build configurations using build profiles in the Unity Editor.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Asset Database stores information about the original source asset files and their imported counterparts to keep the two sets of data in …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed8/10

   Phaser Studio ships an official 'Phaser Game Agent' MCP server with 40+ specialized tools that integrates with Claude Desktop, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and other MCP clients, letting an agent create particle emitters, reorganize scenes into layers, rename objects, tweak physics/animations, and add filters via natural-language commands routed through documented tool calls — directly matching the 'agent drives the editor programmatically' story. Runtime probe confirms the hosted MCP endpoint is live and documented at phaser.io/agent/mcp. missing for 10: independent/hands-on third-party verification that the MCP tools reliably perform builds/edits, and a published open API/tool reference (npm package) beyond the marketing page.

   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Give the player a double-jump and a coin counter.The jump feels floaty, make gravity stronger.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Codegen

1. ai-native userLLM-generated code mostly works on the first try — stable, well-documented APIs with abundant public examples the models have seen

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no data on LLM code-generation success rates, model familiarity with Unity's C# API, or first-try correctness of AI-generated scripts — only general docs, pricing drama, and MCP/CLI tooling notes. Without concrete evidence (docs, benchmarks, or community reports) speaking to this axis, it cannot be credited.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialcommunity6/10

   Phaser has extensive first-party docs, TypeScript definitions, and a long history (widely used since ~2013) that HN commenters confirm produced 'many examples and docs to work from' and 'great documentation,' supporting LLM familiarity. However, other independent reports directly contradict doc quality ('worst documentation... very bad design') and TypeScript support is described as a 'best-effort' bolt-on rather than native, plus the docs explicitly warn that pre-Phaser-3 tutorials/code (States) will not work — all of which undercut first-try reliability for LLM-generated code. Missing for 10: no direct evidence of LLM-generated Phaser code being tested/benchmarked, no resolution of the conflicting doc-quality reports, and no confirmation that the API has stabilized enough to avoid version-mismatch pitfalls.

   • [community] “I've made a couple toy projects with Phaser, after comparing other Javascript based 2d engines. Phaser is the most fully featured amongst th…”
   • [community] “After trying out several HTML5/JS game libraries, I'm pretty sure that Phaser is the best one for 2D games. It has frequent updates, great d…”
   • [community] “I've spent the past 6 months building a game using Phaser and TypeScript. On the whole, it's been a great experience... one of the worst par…”
   • [community] “The documentation of Phaser is the worst i've seen to a popular framework. The website is very bad in the design, styling as well as content…”
   • [community] “It's still rough around the edges, but I have no doubt Phaser 3 will get to feature complete. What's holding me back is lack of TypeScript d…”
   • [community] “Phaser 4 was announced ~four years ago and was an attempt to get the project written natively in TypeScript. It looks pretty dead in the wat…”
   • [claimed-docs] “If you find any reference to States in code or a tutorial you've found online, it's for Phaser 2 and likely won't work in Phaser 3.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Full TypeScript definitions can be found inside the types folder”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Copilot

1. ai-native userAn official AI assistant inside the engine helps with engine tasks — generating scripts, answering API questions, scaffolding scenes or assets

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity~partialprobed6/10

   Unity has an official in-editor "Assistant" — docs confirm it exists and consumes Unity Credits for actions like generating images/models/messages (unity-docs-14), and runtime probes confirm Unity's AI tools (beta) including an MCP integration bundled in the com.unity.ai.assistant package (unity-probe-rt-1, unity-probe-4). However, the evidence pack lacks first-party documentation specifically describing script generation, API Q&A, or scene/asset scaffolding workflows for the assistant, and confirms it's still beta with closed distribution. Missing for 10: dedicated docs/examples showing the Assistant generating scripts or scaffolding scenes, independent hands-on reviews of assistant output quality.

   • [claimed-docs] “Whenever you generate an image, create a 3D model, produce a sound effect, or send a message to the Assistant, you spend Unity Credits from …”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.ai.assistant@latest/index.html?subfolder=/manual/integration/u…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialprobed6/10

   Phaser Studio ships an official 'Phaser Game Agent' MCP server with 40+ specialized tools that integrates with Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Copilot, letting users describe changes in plain language (e.g. 'give the player a double-jump', 'create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers') and have the agent execute them in the editor — directly matching the scaffolding/scripting parts of the story. However this is a separate hosted MCP server/agent rather than an assistant embedded 'inside the engine' itself, and there's no evidence it specifically answers API/documentation questions, nor any independent hands-on corroboration of its effectiveness. Missing for 10: evidence of API Q&A capability, first-party/independent hands-on validation of code-generation quality, and confirmation it's embedded in-engine rather than an external connected tool.

   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Give the player a double-jump and a coin counter.The jump feels floaty, make gravity stronger.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Formats

1. technical artistStandard interchange formats — glTF, FBX, USD — import cleanly

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack never mentions glTF, FBX, or USD import specifically — only generic Asset Database and packaging docs are cited, with no documentation or community proof of clean interchange-format import. Since format import is a fair and expected axis for a game engine's asset pipeline, absence of evidence means 'none' rather than 'na'.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

Import

1. technical artistAsset import is automatable — import hooks, presets, and pipeline scripts process incoming assets without hand-clicking each one

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialclaimed5/10

   Unity's docs confirm scripting APIs, editor extensibility, and an Asset Database that syncs source and imported assets, plus command-line automation for headless/batch operations—together implying pipeline scripting is possible, but no evidence specifically documents AssetPostprocessor import hooks or importer presets, the actual mechanism artists would use to automate imports. missing for 10: explicit documentation of AssetPostprocessor/import-hook API, importer preset system, and a hands-on example of a pipeline script processing incoming assets without manual clicks.

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Asset Database stores information about the original source asset files and their imported counterparts to keep the two sets of data in …”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   Phaser's docs cover its runtime Loader for fetching common asset types (images, atlases, audio) and an editor/MCP agent for interactive scene building, but there is no evidence of asset-import automation tooling (import hooks, preset-based pipelines, or scripts that batch-process incoming source assets before they reach the game) as a build-time pipeline feature. Missing for 10: any documented import-hook API, preset/config-driven asset processing, or pipeline scripting for automating asset ingestion.

   • [claimed-docs] “Common asset types include images, texture atlases, sprite sheets, fonts, audio files and JSON data, but there are many more that Phaser can…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Drag and drop objects into place, tweak their animations, adjust their physics bodies, enable special effects and more as you go.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add and configure filters visually — Glow, Shadow, Blur, Pixelate, Bokeh, ColorMatrix, Displacement and more — directly in the Scene Editor'…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Marketplace

1. game developerA large asset store or package ecosystem gives me ready-made models, tools, and plugins

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullprobed9/10

   Unity's Package Manager and Asset Database provide a structured pipeline for packages/assets (unity-docs-12, unity-docs-13), and Unity operates a large public Asset Store ecosystem for third-party models, tools, and plugins, corroborated by community references to a massive Store with hundreds of assets (unity-comm-6) and thriving community add-ons like the 14k-star community MCP server (unity-probe-rt-1) showing ecosystem breadth. Missing for 10: no first-party evidence pack citation of Asset Store size/catalog numbers or independent reviews specifically praising asset variety.

   • [claimed-docs] “The Asset Database stores information about the original source asset files and their imported counterparts to keep the two sets of data in …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”
   • [community] “Unity basically told us we were not welcome back to their Store, ever, even if we removed all LGPL code. Yet there are currently hundreds of…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   Evidence covers Phaser's editor, MCP agent tooling, npm install, CDN and framework integrations, but there is no mention of a dedicated asset store, marketplace, or curated plugin ecosystem (à la Unity Asset Store) offering ready-made models/tools/plugins. Missing for 10: evidence of an official or third-party asset marketplace, a plugin registry, or curated ready-made asset packages.

   ⚑ flag

1. ai-native userPerform bulk operations across many items at once

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialclaimed4/10

   Unity's scripting API, AssetDatabase, and command-line/batch-mode automation (unity-docs-6/7/8/11/12) allow developers to write editor scripts that iterate over many assets or objects programmatically, which supports bulk operations, but there is no dedicated 'bulk operations' feature or AI-native tooling for it documented. Missing for 10: explicit bulk-edit/batch-apply feature, AI-agent-driven bulk workflows, and independent hands-on evidence of performing bulk operations at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Asset Database stores information about the original source asset files and their imported counterparts to keep the two sets of data in …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialclaimed3/10

   The Editor/MCP agent evidence mentions handling tasks like renaming multiple objects and reorganizing scenes without switching tools, implying some bulk-editing capability, but there's no detailed documentation of a systematic bulk-operations API or workflow for AI agents. Missing for 10: explicit bulk-edit tooling/API docs, examples of batch operations across many assets/scenes, and independent confirmation of this capability working at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userDefine rules that trigger actions automatically on events

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialclaimed4/10

   Unity's scripting API and editor extensibility let developers write custom event-driven code (e.g. callbacks, custom inspectors, command-line automation of build/launch workflows), which can be used to trigger actions on events, but the evidence never documents an actual declarative 'rules that trigger actions on events' system or AI-native automation trigger framework. Missing for 10: a documented rules/trigger engine (e.g. webhook-style or event-condition-action config), AI-specific automation hooks, and independent confirmation that non-scripted users can define such rules.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   Phaser's docs mention a unified input system and scene lifecycle events, but no evidence describes a rule-engine or declarative trigger system where events automatically fire configured actions (e.g., an event-emitter/automation API is never documented in the pack). Missing for 10: documentation of an event-emitter/listener API, examples of rule-based automation, and any AI-native tooling for defining trigger→action rules.

   • [claimed-docs] “Phaser maintains a unified input system that works across all browsers and devices.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Typical uses for a Scene would be a Loading Screen, a Main Menu, a Game Level, a Boss Fight, an in-game Item Shop, a High Score Table, etc.”
   • [claimed-docs] “you can pause, resume and sleep a Scene at will, and that you can easily run multiple Scenes at the same time.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

3. ai-native userVersion, review, and roll back my automations

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

2d

1. game developer2D is a first-class workflow — sprites, tilemaps, 2D physics — not a 3D afterthought

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity~partialclaimed3/10

   Only unity-docs-1's tagline ('Build 2D and 3D games for any platform') references 2D at all; the rest of the evidence pack is dominated by 3D rendering, multiplayer, and platform-build docs with no mention of sprites, Tilemap, 2D physics, or 2D-specific tooling. Missing for 10: dedicated 2D sprite/animation docs, Tilemap system evidence, 2D physics engine documentation, and any community corroboration that 2D is treated as first-class rather than a side feature.

   • [claimed-docs] “Build 2D and 3D games for any platform”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullcommunity9/10

   Phaser's docs and community feedback confirm sprites, scenes, arcade physics, animations, tilemaps/atlases, and input are core, well-documented primitives rather than bolted-on features, and community comments reinforce it as a dedicated 2D engine (comparisons to Pixi/Love2D, 'fits 2D, sprites, tilemaps, physics'). missing for 10: independent hands-on benchmarking of tilemap-specific workflows and no explicit dedicated tilemap doc excerpt in the pack (only physics/scenes/animations/input are directly quoted).

   • [claimed-docs] “Typical uses for a Scene would be a Loading Screen, a Main Menu, a Game Level, a Boss Fight, an in-game Item Shop, a High Score Table, etc.”
   • [claimed-docs] “it's a common practise to have a Scene dedicated entirely to handling the UI for your game, that is rendered above all other Scenes”
   • [claimed-docs] “This will allow you to control the Sprite using the built-in physics functions, such as velocity, acceleration, gravity, etc.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Phaser maintains a unified input system that works across all browsers and devices.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Common asset types include images, texture atlases, sprite sheets, fonts, audio files and JSON data, but there are many more that Phaser can…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Animations are created via the Animation Manager.”
   • [community] “It's a great tool if you go for a game that fits this framework - 2D, sprites, tilemaps, physics... After experimenting a little with phaser…”
   • [community] “Phaser is the perfect framework to get started making HTML5 2D games.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Performance

1. game developerProfile and scale — a real profiler, plus data-oriented paths (ECS, jobs, instancing) when scenes get heavy

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no mention of Unity's Profiler, ECS/DOTS, Job System, or GPU instancing — only generic claims about rendering/visuals, scripting APIs, and CLI/build tooling. Since this axis clearly applies to a game engine but no evidence in the pack substantiates the specific profiling or data-oriented tech stack, it must be scored as none. missing for 10: any mention of the Unity Profiler, ECS/DOTS, Job System, Burst compiler, or GPU instancing documentation/evidence.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The evidence pack shows no mention of a built-in profiler, ECS architecture, job system, or instancing support for scaling heavy scenes; Phaser's docs and community discussion focus on Scenes, Arcade physics, animations, and rendering (Canvas/WebGL) with only a passing complaint about relative rendering FPS. Nothing indicates data-oriented performance tooling exists.

   • [claimed-docs] “Typical uses for a Scene would be a Loading Screen, a Main Menu, a Game Level, a Boss Fight, an in-game Item Shop, a High Score Table, etc.”
   • [claimed-docs] “This will allow you to control the Sprite using the built-in physics functions, such as velocity, acceleration, gravity, etc.”
   • [community] “The framework is good, however I got faster (fps wise) results using my own rendering functions on Canvas than I was getting using their ren…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Physics

1. game developerBuilt-in physics — rigid bodies, collisions, raycasts — works out of the box

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no documentation, community discussion, or probe results that specifically mention Unity's physics engine, rigid bodies, colliders, or raycasting — only generic references to building 2D/3D games, scripting APIs, and editor extensibility. Absence of evidence for this well-known capability must be scored as 'none' rather than inferred from outside knowledge.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialcommunity6/10

   Docs confirm a built-in Arcade Physics system providing velocity, acceleration, gravity, and collision handling out of the box, and community testimony (phaser-comm-13) lists physics as a core built-in feature, but the pack explicitly notes Arcade physics 'does have its limitations' (phaser-docs-24) and never mentions raycasting or full rigid-body dynamics (e.g., Matter.js integration) with concrete examples. Missing for 10: explicit raycast API evidence, rigid-body/Matter physics documentation, and independent confirmation of collision accuracy beyond Arcade's simplified AABB model.

   • [claimed-docs] “This will allow you to control the Sprite using the built-in physics functions, such as velocity, acceleration, gravity, etc.”
   • [claimed-docs] “It's very fast and easy to use, with lots of helper functions, but due to its nature it does have its limitations.”
   • [community] “It's a great tool if you go for a game that fits this framework - 2D, sprites, tilemaps, physics... After experimenting a little with phaser…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Rendering

1. game developerThe engine ships a modern production 3D renderer — PBR materials, global illumination or baked lighting, shadows, post-processing

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialclaimed7/10

   Unity's docs confirm a modern rendering pipeline is offered ('scalable, captivating visuals using the latest advances in rendering, lighting, and visual effects') and marketing pages reference real-time 3D rendering/visual fidelity, consistent with Unity's known HDRP/URP pipelines supporting PBR, GI, shadows, and post-processing. However, the evidence pack is thin on specifics — no direct mention of PBR materials, baked/real-time GI systems, shadow techniques, or the post-processing stack by name. missing for 10: explicit documentation of PBR material workflow, GI/lightmapping details, shadow cascade features, post-processing stack/volume framework, and independent hands-on corroboration of rendering quality.

   • [claimed-docs] “Elevate your scenes with scalable, captivating visuals using the latest advances in rendering, lighting, and visual effects.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build and review 3D projects in real time”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create and optimize high-end games and interactive experiences. Bring your team’s vision to life with Unity’s real-time development platform…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

Collaboration

1. studio leadThe project format and tooling play well with version control and multi-person teams — mergeable scenes, diffable text formats, or built-in collaboration

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialclaimed2/10

   Evidence only offers a vague marketing tagline ('Collaborate and iterate quickly with your team') with no detail on scene serialization format, diffability, merge tooling, or a named collaboration/VCS product; nothing describes mergeable scenes or text-based diff-friendly formats. Missing for 10: documentation of YAML/text scene serialization mode, a smart-merge tool for scenes/prefabs, and details of a built-in version-control/collaboration product (e.g. Unity VCS/Plastic) with independent corroboration.

   • [claimed-docs] “Collaborate and iterate quickly with your team”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers installation, scenes, physics, animation, and a visual Scene Editor, but nothing addresses version-control friendliness, mergeable/diffable scene file formats, or built-in multi-person collaboration tooling. While Phaser's code-first nature implies plain-text source files, there is no explicit documentation of scene file format diffability, conflict resolution, or team collaboration features for the visual editor.

   ⚑ flag

Editor

1. technical artistA full visual editor — viewport, inspector, prefabs/scene composition — is the primary way to build levels

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullclaimed9/10

   Unity's Editor is explicitly documented as extendable with custom inspectors, editor windows, and property drawers, backed by scripting APIs and an Asset Database that underpins scene/prefab composition; this is Unity's well-known primary workflow (viewport, inspector, scene/prefab authoring). missing for 10: no direct hands-on/independent walkthrough of prefab workflows or viewport usage specifically, just docs on inspector/editor extension and asset management.

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Asset Database stores information about the original source asset files and their imported counterparts to keep the two sets of data in …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialclaimed5/10

   Phaser Studio ships an official visual Scene Editor with drag-and-drop placement, a real-time Inspector for effects/physics/animations, and scene reorganization into layers (phaser-docs-12, phaser-docs-27, phaser-docs-29), which covers viewport/inspector/scene-composition claims. However, core Phaser itself remains a code-first framework, prefab workflows are never explicitly named, and all evidence is first-party marketing with zero independent/hands-on corroboration of the editor's actual level-building workflow. Missing for 10: explicit prefab/reusable-component system documentation, independent reviews or hands-on reports of the editor, and clarity on how central this paid add-on editor is versus code-based scene building.

   • [claimed-docs] “Drag and drop objects into place, tweak their animations, adjust their physics bodies, enable special effects and more as you go.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add and configure filters visually — Glow, Shadow, Blur, Pixelate, Bokeh, ColorMatrix, Displacement and more — directly in the Scene Editor'…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Pixel art, tilemap & atlas editors * SFX & music generation”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Extensibility

1. game developerExtend and automate the editor itself — custom tools, editor scripts, plugins that manipulate scenes and assets programmatically

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullclaimed9/10

   Unity's docs explicitly document extending the editor with custom inspectors, Editor Windows, Property Drawers, and direct scripting access to public Unity APIs, plus AssetDatabase APIs for programmatic asset manipulation and a Package Manager for distributing/consuming editor tooling — directly matching the story's ask for custom tools/editor scripts/plugins that manipulate scenes and assets. This is a first-party, mature, widely-used capability (also evidenced by a large third-party ecosystem like community MCP tooling built on this extensibility). Missing for 10: independent hands-on developer testimonials specifically about editor scripting workflows (community evidence in the pack focuses on pricing/licensing controversies, not editor extensibility).

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [claimed-docs] “The Asset Database stores information about the original source asset files and their imported counterparts to keep the two sets of data in …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialprobed5/10

   Phaser's separate Editor product supports visual scene/asset manipulation (drag-and-drop, filters, inspector) and an MCP server exposes 40+ tools letting AI agents call editor-like functions to manipulate scenes/assets programmatically, which partially satisfies 'automate the editor.' However there is no evidence of a scripting/plugin API for the Editor itself (e.g., custom editor panels, extension SDK, editor-scripting language) — the MCP tools are agent-facing, not a documented developer plugin architecture. missing for 10: documented editor plugin/extension SDK, editor scripting API for custom tools, evidence of third-party editor plugins, independent hands-on confirmation of MCP tool automation reliability.

   • [claimed-docs] “Drag and drop objects into place, tweak their animations, adjust their physics bodies, enable special effects and more as you go.”
   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add and configure filters visually — Glow, Shadow, Blur, Pixelate, Bokeh, ColorMatrix, Displacement and more — directly in the Scene Editor'…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [probe] “official MCP server documented at https://phaser.io/agent/mcp”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Ci

1. game developerBuild and export the project from the command line, headless, in CI — no human clicking an editor

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullprobed8/10

   Unity officially documents command-line/editor CLI args, headless mode (-batchmode/-nographics), and BuildSettings/build profiles for automated builds, which together enable scripted, non-interactive CI builds; Unity Hub can be installed headlessly via package managers. Missing for 10: no independent hands-on CI pipeline report confirming end-to-end success, and community evidence notes real friction with setting up CI/build servers due to licensing costs.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity can build your application for different platforms with unique build configurations using build profiles in the Unity Editor.”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity Hub installs keylessly from Homebrew (cask unity-hub 3.21.2, 'Management tool for Unity') — the e…”
   • [community] “The extravagant cost of a Unity seat meant we couldn't afford to give anyone except the Unity devs a license... For the same reason, we coul…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The evidence only shows an interactive CLI installer for scaffolding new projects (phaser-docs-2/21) and a separate paid Scene Editor with an MCP 'agent' for human-in-the-loop coding assistance (phaser-docs-12/13/14/27/29) — neither documents a headless build/export command or CI pipeline usage. There is no mention of a 'phaser build' CLI, bundler config, or automated export pipeline suitable for CI. Missing for 10: documented headless build/export CLI command, CI integration example, evidence that game export doesn't require the GUI editor.

   • [claimed-docs] “This CLI tool presents an interactive selection of official project templates and demo games.”
   • [claimed-docs] “This CLI tool presents an interactive selection of official project templates and demo games. Issue the command, answer some questions and t…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Drag and drop objects into place, tweak their animations, adjust their physics bodies, enable special effects and more as you go.”
   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Server

1. game developerGame logic runs headless on servers — a dedicated-server or server-runtime build without rendering

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullprobed8/10

   Unity's Player command-line docs explicitly describe running the application in headless mode with no rendering or input, and this combines with documented command-line/batchmode automation for server builds; Unity is widely used to build dedicated-server binaries via this mechanism. Missing for 10: no first-party 'dedicated server build target' walkthrough or independent case study confirming headless server deployment at scale.

   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   No evidence anywhere in the pack of a headless/server-runtime build of Phaser that runs game logic without a canvas/WebGL renderer; all documentation focuses on browser/CDN/npm installs, Scenes, physics, and rendering-oriented editor tooling. Headless server support is a fair question for a game framework (many engines offer it), but nothing here confirms Phaser ships one.

   ⚑ flag

Testing

1. game developerTests run headlessly — unit and integration tests of game code execute in CI against the real engine

   weight 2 · round to Unity
   Unity~partialcommunity5/10

   Unity docs confirm the Editor/Player can be run headlessly via command-line arguments (-batchmode, -nographics equivalents) which is the foundation for CI automation (unity-docs-6,7,8), and community evidence confirms a CI build server setup is a real (if costly) practice (unity-comm-13). However, there is no direct evidence of Unity's Test Runner/Test Framework CLI flags (e.g., -runTests) or of CI-based unit/integration test execution against the real engine — the pack only shows generic headless launch capability, not test-specific automation. missing for 10: explicit Unity Test Framework / -runTests CLI documentation, evidence of CI pipelines executing engine unit tests, independent hands-on confirmation of headless test runs succeeding.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [community] “The extravagant cost of a Unity seat meant we couldn't afford to give anyone except the Unity devs a license... For the same reason, we coul…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack mentions headless testing, CI integration, test runners, or running Phaser against a headless browser/Node environment for automated test execution — all evidence covers installation, scenes, physics, editor, and MCP tooling.

   ⚑ flag

Governance

1. studio leadThe project's governance and funding are transparent — a foundation, published finances, or a public roadmap I can plan against

   weight 1 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   Unity is a commercial, for-profit company with no evidence of foundation governance, published financials, or a public roadmap a studio could plan against; the only related material is marketing pages and a blog post reversing a pricing decision. Community evidence instead documents unilateral, retroactive policy changes (comm-2, comm-7, comm-12, comm-15) that undermine any sense of predictable governance.

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity is Canceling the Runtime Fee”
   • [community] “It reminds me of Darth Vader's line: 'I have altered the deal. Pray I don't alter it further.' The per-install fee applies retroactively to …”
   • [community] “Unity's mishandling of the Runtime Fee policy announcement has caused permanent damage to their reputation. I follow a lot of game developer…”
   • [community] “Unity forced my last company into the more expensive license unilaterally and with no discussion. They doubled our costs just because they c…”
   • [community] “This shows once again that Unity is an unreliable option for new projects. The worst part is not the 4% fee, but the bluntness with which Un…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   No evidence pack items address governance structure, foundation status, published finances, or a public roadmap for Phaser; the evidence covers technical docs, editor/MCP features, pricing/licensing transfer, and community sentiment only. Missing for 10: any mention of a governing foundation, financial transparency/reports, or a published roadmap that a studio lead could plan against.

   ⚑ flag

License

1. studio leadThe license is permissive with no royalties or per-install fees — I keep what my game earns

   weight 3 · round to Phaser
   Unity!disputedcontradicted3/10

   Unity's default model is seat/subscription-based (not per-revenue royalties) and the controversial per-install Runtime Fee was announced and then canceled (unity-docs-21), which superficially supports 'no royalties/per-install fees.' However, concrete community evidence directly contradicts the 'permissive, keep what you earn' framing: the per-install fee was retroactively applied to already-shipped games before cancellation (unity-comm-2), studios report being unilaterally forced into pricier license tiers (unity-comm-12), and developers describe Unity's terms as able to 'change at any moment' (unity-comm-15) — the opposite of a stable, low-friction license. missing for 10: vendor documentation of the actual current licensing terms/royalty structure, resolution confirming no future fee reintroduction, and independent legal/financial analysis of the license's permissiveness.

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity is Canceling the Runtime Fee”
   • [community] “It reminds me of Darth Vader's line: 'I have altered the deal. Pray I don't alter it further.' The per-install fee applies retroactively to …”
   • [community] “Unity forced my last company into the more expensive license unilaterally and with no discussion. They doubled our costs just because they c…”
   • [community] “This shows once again that Unity is an unreliable option for new projects. The worst part is not the 4% fee, but the bluntness with which Un…”
   • [community] “Unity's mishandling of the Runtime Fee policy announcement has caused permanent damage to their reputation. I follow a lot of game developer…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed7/10

   Runtime probe confirms the core Phaser engine is published under the MIT license (npm registry metadata), which is inherently permissive and imposes no royalties or per-install fees, letting studios keep 100% of game revenue. The evidence pack does not include an explicit vendor statement like 'no royalties' or 'keep what you earn,' so this is inferred from the MIT designation rather than a direct claim; separately, the paid Editor/pricing page (phaser-docs-30) mentions 'full commercial rights' and license transfer for a different, optional commercial tool, not the core engine's licensing terms. Missing for 10: an explicit first-party statement on royalty-free/no-fee terms and independent legal/community confirmation of the license text.

   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”
   • [claimed-docs] “Full commercial rights * Transfer your licence to any user”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Source

1. game developerRead and modify the full engine source when I hit a wall

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   Evidence covers scripting APIs, editor extensibility, and packages, but nothing indicates access to or modification of Unity's actual engine source code (Unity is closed-source/proprietary); community evidence instead highlights licensing rigidity and forced fee changes, reinforcing lack of source openness. Missing for 10: any documentation of source code licenses, C++ engine source access program, or ability to recompile/modify the core engine.

   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [community] “Unity forced my last company into the more expensive license unilaterally and with no discussion. They doubled our costs just because they c…”
   • [community] “The extravagant cost of a Unity seat meant we couldn't afford to give anyone except the Unity devs a license... For the same reason, we coul…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed7/10

   Phaser's source is hosted on GitHub (phaser-gh-1, phaser-gh-2) and the runtime probe confirms it is MIT-licensed (phaser-probe-rt-1), meaning developers can freely read, fork, and modify the entire engine source when they hit a limitation. Community comments (e.g. phaser-comm-11, phaser-comm-12) even show developers digging into internals/rendering behavior, consistent with open-source access. Missing for 10: explicit documentation/tutorial on how to build from source or contribute patches, and no first-party statement framing this as a workaround path for hitting engine walls.

   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”
   • [github] “Games can be built for the web, or as YouTube Playables, Discord Activities, Reddit games, Twitch Overlays or compiled to iOS, Android, Stea…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”
   • [community] “The framework is good, however I got faster (fps wise) results using my own rendering functions on Canvas than I was getting using their ren…”
   • [community] “I just started playing with it and circular dependencies make me cringe... It's really tough to compose things with it.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Trust

1. studio leadThe pricing and license terms have a track record of stability — no retroactive changes that reprice games already shipped

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   Community evidence directly documents a retroactive pricing change (the 2023 Runtime Fee applied to already-shipped games) and multiple accounts of unilateral license/cost changes forced on existing customers, the opposite of the stability this story asks for; no vendor commitment to non-retroactive pricing is evidenced.

   • [community] “It reminds me of Darth Vader's line: 'I have altered the deal. Pray I don't alter it further.' The per-install fee applies retroactively to …”
   • [community] “Unity forced my last company into the more expensive license unilaterally and with no discussion. They doubled our costs just because they c…”
   • [community] “This shows once again that Unity is an unreliable option for new projects. The worst part is not the 4% fee, but the bluntness with which Un…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity is Canceling the Runtime Fee”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   Evidence shows current pricing/licence terms (full commercial rights, licence transfer) and confirms the core engine is MIT-licensed, but there is no evidence of a documented track record over time — no mention of past pricing changes, grandfathering policies, or community confirmation that shipped games were never repriced retroactively. Missing for 10: historical pricing-change log, explicit no-retroactive-repricing policy statement, and independent/community corroboration of licence stability over multiple releases.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can transfer any active licence or subscription to another registered Phaser user from your account page.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Full commercial rights * Transfer your licence to any user”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userDo everything through the API that I can do in the UI

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity~partialprobed5/10

   Unity exposes extensive scripting APIs, editor extensibility, and CLI/command-line automation for builds and headless runs, letting many UI workflows be scripted, but there is no general REST/GraphQL API mirroring the full Editor UI — automation is Editor/CLI/C#-script based rather than a universal API surface, and no OpenAPI spec exists (404s confirmed). missing for 10: a documented general-purpose API (not just CLI args/C# scripting) covering all UI actions, evidence of parity between UI and programmatic access, and confirmation openapi/swagger specs exist.

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity lets you extend the editor with your own custom inspectors and Editor Windows and you can define how properties are displayed in the i…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.unity3d.com/openapi.json, https://docs.unity3d.com/swagger.json, https://docs.unity3d.c…”
   • [probe] “official CLI documented at https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/EditorCommandLineArguments.html”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialprobed5/10

   Phaser is a code-first JS/TS game framework whose entire API is already scriptable (Scenes, physics, input, animations, loader), so most 'UI' interactions like the Scene Editor are optional visual layers over the same API. The official MCP server (phaser.io/agent/mcp) lets an AI agent describe intent in plain language and have it call editor-equivalent tools, supporting API-level parity with editor actions like adding filters, particle emitters, and reorganizing scenes. However, evidence doesn't confirm 100% coverage of every visual editor feature (e.g., visual filter/particle configuration, pixel art/tilemap/SFX generation tools) via the plain code API, and the MCP server itself is a separate hosted tool, not something distributed as an installable npm package with public OpenAPI/spec. missing for 10: explicit confirmation that every Scene Editor visual feature (filters, particle emitters, layers, pixel/tilemap/SFX tools) has a documented equivalent API call, independent hands-on evidence the MCP/API can fully replicate editor UI actions, and a public API spec (OpenAPI 404s) proving completeness.

   • [claimed-docs] “Drag and drop objects into place, tweak their animations, adjust their physics bodies, enable special effects and more as you go.”
   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Build games from inside the editor you already use with the Phaser Game Agent MCP server.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Give the player a double-jump and a coin counter.The jump feels floaty, make gravity stronger.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add and configure filters visually — Glow, Shadow, Blur, Pixelate, Bokeh, ColorMatrix, Displacement and more — directly in the Scene Editor'…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Pixel art, tilemap & atlas editors * SFX & music generation”
   • [probe] “PROBE openapi: all candidate paths 404 (https://docs.phaser.io/openapi.json, https://docs.phaser.io/swagger.json, https://docs.phaser.io/api…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. ai-native userExport all of my data in open formats and leave

   weight 3 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no documentation of a data-export feature or open-format portability guarantee for Unity projects (assets, scenes, or AI credits data); most content is about platform support, editor extensibility, and pricing controversies, not data portability.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

3. ai-native userRead the product's source under an open license

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   Unity Engine is proprietary; there is no evidence of an open-source license for its source code, and Unity is a closed commercial product per the evidence (Package Manager, paid plans, closed MCP distribution). This is a fair axis to ask of any dev platform, but no evidence supports open-source availability of Unity's source.

   • [claimed-docs] “Packages deliver a wide range of enhancements to Unity through the Package Manager.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity’s free plan, Unity Personal, is for individuals and small organizations with less than $100K of revenue and funds raised in the last 1…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed8/10

   Phaser's source is hosted publicly on GitHub (github.com/phaserjs/phaser, cited in phaser-gh-1/2) and the npm package is confirmed MIT-licensed via runtime probe, satisfying the 'read source under open license' story directly. Missing for 10: an explicit first-party LICENSE file citation and independent community commentary specifically about license terms/openness.

   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”
   • [github] “Games can be built for the web, or as YouTube Playables, Discord Activities, Reddit games, Twitch Overlays or compiled to iOS, Android, Stea…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

4. ai-native userSelf-host the core product

   weight 3 · round to Phaser
   Unity~partialprobed6/10

   Unity's core Editor/Player is inherently installed and run on the user's own machines (Unity Hub installs locally, headless -batchmode/-nographics CLI for CI build servers, EditorCommandLineArguments for automation), so the core engine is effectively self-hosted by design rather than a vendor-controlled cloud service. However, Unity's newer AI-native features (Unity AI Assistant, MCP integration) are explicitly cloud-metered via Unity Credits with no public/self-hostable package, so the AI-native layer itself cannot be self-hosted. Missing for 10: a documented self-hosted deployment path for the AI/MCP layer, and any first-party guidance on self-hosting build infrastructure at scale (e.g. license/build-server constraints noted in community reports).

   • [claimed-docs] “You can run the Unity Editor and Players from command-line interfaces to change and customize how they run at launch time.”
   • [claimed-docs] “You can launch the Unity Editor and Player with additional command line arguments to control startup behavior, configure settings, or automa…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Run the application in headless mode. In this mode, the application doesn’t display anything or accept user input.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity can build your application for different platforms with unique build configurations using build profiles in the Unity Editor.”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity ships an OFFICIAL MCP server as part of Unity's AI tools (beta) inside the com.unity.ai.assistant…”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): Unity Hub installs keylessly from Homebrew (cask unity-hub 3.21.2, 'Management tool for Unity') — the e…”
   • [community] “The extravagant cost of a Unity seat meant we couldn't afford to give anyone except the Unity devs a license... For the same reason, we coul…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed8/10

   Phaser is an MIT-licensed, open-source JavaScript library installable via npm or CDN and usable entirely within a self-managed environment (GitHub source, npm package, jsDelivr CDN) — there is no vendor-hosted runtime dependency for the core engine, so self-hosting is inherent to the product. missing for 10: explicit deployment/self-hosting guide (e.g., Docker, server config) and independent confirmation of running fully offline in production.

   • [claimed-docs] “npm install phaser”
   • [claimed-docs] “Phaser is on jsDelivr which is a "super-fast CDN for developers".”
   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Targets

1. studio leadOne project exports to desktop, mobile, and (directly or via partners) consoles

   weight 3 · round to Unity
   Unity✓fullclaimed8/10

   Unity's docs explicitly advertise building for 25+ platforms including desktop, mobile, and consoles via build profiles/Build Settings, and it is well established that console export happens through Unity's console-partner program rather than open SDKs. Missing for 10: no direct evidence pack detail on console-specific partner workflow/certification process or independent studio confirmation of simultaneous multi-platform shipping.

   • [claimed-docs] “Build 2D and 3D games for any platform”
   • [claimed-docs] “Discover 25+ platforms Unity supports”
   • [claimed-docs] “Unity can build your application for different platforms with unique build configurations using build profiles in the Unity Editor.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Ship big games with small teams”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialcommunity5/10

   Phaser docs and GitHub state games can be "compiled to iOS, Android, Steam and native apps using 3rd party tools," covering mobile and desktop export paths, and a community report confirms a real Android .apk export at 60fps. However, there is no evidence—vendor or community—of console export capability (directly or via a documented console partner program), which is a core part of this story. Missing for 10: documented console export path or partner program, first-party tooling/guide for desktop/mobile builds beyond "3rd party tools", independent confirmation of Steam/iOS builds.

   • [claimed-docs] “compiled to iOS, Android, Steam and native apps using 3rd party tools”
   • [claimed-docs] “Games can be built for the web, or as YouTube Playables, Discord Activies, Twitch Overlays or compiled to iOS, Android, Steam and native app…”
   • [github] “Games can be built for the web, or as YouTube Playables, Discord Activities, Reddit games, Twitch Overlays or compiled to iOS, Android, Stea…”
   • [community] “This is the best JavaScript game framework. Been using it for a few years and it never let me down... created a small game and exported it t…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Web

1. web developerMy game runs in the browser with a reasonable payload — WebGL today, and a credible WebGPU story

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack only offers generic cross-platform claims (e.g., '25+ platforms', 'any platform') with no mention of WebGL, WebGPU, browser payload size, or any web-specific export tooling; nothing addresses this story's specific subject.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialcommunity4/10

   Evidence confirms browser-based rendering with WebGL (community mention of 'rendering on both Canvas and WebGL') and easy npm/CDN distribution suggesting reasonable payload, but there is no mention anywhere in the pack of WebGPU support, a WebGPU renderer, or a roadmap toward it. missing for 10: explicit WebGPU renderer/roadmap documentation, payload-size benchmarks, and independent corroboration of WebGL performance beyond one anecdotal comment.

   • [community] “The framework is good, however I got faster (fps wise) results using my own rendering functions on Canvas than I was getting using their ren…”
   • [claimed-docs] “npm install phaser”
   • [claimed-docs] “Phaser is on jsDelivr which is a "super-fast CDN for developers".”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

2. web developerThe engine installs from a package registry into my existing toolchain — a library I import, bundle, and tree-shake like any dependency

   weight 2 · round to Phaser
   Unity—none0/10

   The axis applies to this product kind (peer products hold positive or none verdicts on this story), so lack of evidence for an applicable capability is "none", never "na". (na/none harmonized at arena bring-up — see pipeline/scripts/na-harmonize.ts.)

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser✓fullprobed9/10

   Phaser is published as a standard npm package (`npm install phaser`), confirmed both in docs and via live registry probe (v4.2.1, MIT license, 263k weekly downloads), and includes TypeScript definitions in the package, making it importable/bundleable like any standard JS dependency. Community evidence corroborates typical toolchain use (bundling into games/apps) though tree-shaking specifically isn't explicitly discussed. Missing for 10: explicit documentation or confirmation of tree-shaking/ESM module support behavior.

   • [claimed-docs] “npm install phaser”
   • [claimed-docs] “Full TypeScript definitions can be found inside the types folder”
   • [claimed-docs] “Install via [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/phaser): npm install phaser”
   • [probe] “PROBE runtime (recorded 2026-09-15): `npm view phaser version` → 4.2.1 (MIT, 263,018 weekly downloads), and phaser.io/llms.txt is live as a …”
   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

1. ai-native userOpt out of telemetry and usage tracking

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   No evidence pack item documents a telemetry opt-out setting or privacy control for Unity; the only related evidence is a community complaint about unwanted 'phone home' logging (unity-comm-14), which if anything suggests telemetry behavior was hard to avoid rather than confirming an opt-out mechanism exists.

   • [community] “I switched to unreal several years ago because Unity had written hundreds of gigabytes of log files complaining that it could not phone home…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack addresses telemetry, usage tracking, or an opt-out mechanism for Phaser's library, CLI, editor, or MCP server offerings, despite these being product surfaces where such a policy could exist.

   ⚑ flag

Iteration

1. game developerThe edit-run loop is fast — hot reload or near-instant preview after a script change

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack covers scripting APIs, editor extensibility, CLI/build automation, and packages, but contains no documentation or community evidence specifically about hot reload, domain reload speed, or near-instant preview after script changes — a well-known pain point/feature area for Unity that simply isn't addressed here.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   No evidence in the pack describes hot reload, live-reload dev server, or near-instant preview after script changes; only editor visual tweaks (glow/filters, drag-drop) are documented, which is not the same as a fast JS edit-run loop. The templates/CLI installation docs mention project setup but not dev-server hot reload behavior.

   ⚑ flag

Language

1. game developerThe primary scripting language is productive and fully exposes the engine API, with a debugger behind it

   weight 3 · round to Phaser
   Unity~partialcommunity4/10

   Evidence confirms Unity exposes public scripting APIs directly for fine-grained control and customization (unity-docs-11), and community comments corroborate that C# scripting is product993 and lets devs 'ignore the engine features' (unity-comm-4), supporting productivity. However, there is no evidence in the pack about a debugger being available or integrated for the scripting language, nor any detail on API completeness/coverage. Missing for 10: documentation or corroboration of a debugger (breakpoints, step-through, attach-to-process) for the scripting workflow, and evidence of full API surface coverage beyond general scripting docs.

   • [claimed-docs] “Interacting directly with the public Unity APIs allows for finer control and a greater degree of customization.”
   • [community] “I used XNA, then MS killed it... then switched to Unity, been using it since 2012... As a lone indie dev I find Unreal very tedious and slow…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

   Phaser~partialcommunity6/10

   Phaser's primary language is JavaScript/TypeScript with full TypeScript definitions shipped (phaser-docs-4) and GitHub confirming both JS/TS support (phaser-gh-1), and community members report it as easy to learn and productive (phaser-comm-3, phaser-comm-7, phaser-comm-10). However TypeScript support is described as 'best-effort... layered onto Phaser 3 via DefinitelyTyped' rather than native (phaser-comm-8), and docs quality — key to fully exposing the API productively — is criticized as 'the worst I've seen' by one community member (phaser-comm-16) even as others praise it (phaser-comm-10). No dedicated debugger tooling (breakpoints, inspector) is documented anywhere in the evidence pack beyond standard browser JS debugging implied by using JS/TS. Missing for 10: explicit debugger/dev-tools integration documentation, native (non-DefinitelyTyped) TypeScript support, and independent confirmation that the API surface is fully exposed without workarounds.

   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Full TypeScript definitions can be found inside the types folder”
   • [community] “A year or so ago I did a lot with Phaser... man is Phaser easy to learn and easy to get more advanced in... I am a big fan of their work.”
   • [community] “I've made a couple toy projects with Phaser, after comparing other Javascript based 2d engines. Phaser is the most fully featured amongst th…”
   • [community] “Phaser 4 was announced ~four years ago and was an attempt to get the project written natively in TypeScript. It looks pretty dead in the wat…”
   • [community] “The documentation of Phaser is the worst i've seen to a popular framework. The website is very bad in the design, styling as well as content…”
   • [community] “I've spent the past 6 months building a game using Phaser and TypeScript. On the whole, it's been a great experience... one of the worst par…”

   proof ↗⚑ flag

Visual

1. technical artistBuild gameplay logic with visual scripting without writing code

   weight 2 · round drawn
   Unity—none0/10

   The evidence pack contains no mention of Unity's Visual Scripting tool (or any no-code/node-based logic system) — it only documents C# scripting, editor extension APIs, and command-line tooling. Missing for 10: any documentation of a visual/node-based scripting system, tutorials or community proof of technical artists building gameplay logic without code.

   ⚑ flag

   Phaser—none0/10

   Evidence shows Phaser's editor (phaser.io/editor) provides visual scene/asset editing—drag-and-drop placement, animation tweaking, physics-body adjustment, filter effects—and an MCP agent that translates natural-language requests into code changes, but nothing describes a node-based or visual gameplay-logic scripting system that lets a technical artist build game logic without writing JavaScript/TypeScript code. Phaser remains fundamentally a code-first framework (phaser-gh-1, phaser-docs-4), so the 'no-code logic' capability is unevidenced.

   • [claimed-docs] “Drag and drop objects into place, tweak their animations, adjust their physics bodies, enable special effects and more as you go.”
   • [claimed-docs] “Add and configure filters visually — Glow, Shadow, Blur, Pixelate, Bokeh, ColorMatrix, Displacement and more — directly in the Scene Editor'…”
   • [claimed-docs] “Create a particle emitter, reorganise a scene into layers, rename a bunch of objects — it handles it without switching tools.”
   • [claimed-docs] “For power users, the MCP Server goes deeper. It implements over 40 specialised tools and integrates directly with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gi…”
   • [claimed-docs] “You describe what you want in plain language and your agent calls the tools for you.”
   • [github] “You can use JavaScript or TypeScript for development.”

   proof ↗⚑ flag