Video game makers are hoping to cut millions of dollars from their budgets by adopting AI tools that can generate dialogue, characters and landscapes on their own.
From the player's perspective, this technology promises to improve the gaming experience as they interact with more lifelike characters and more dynamic storylines.
Photo: MT
Unity Software this week launched AI technology that it says will simplify the creation of 3D content and animation for the 1.8 million developers who regularly use its products.
Developers can sign up to try out the products Unity is launching next Tuesday. Other AI companies can also make their apps compatible with Unity’s toolkit through a newly launched platform. Unity’s stock rose about 15% on the news.
Meanwhile, millions of gamers in China will get to test similar technology when NetEase, one of Asia's largest gaming companies, launches Justice Mobile, a title featuring AI-powered characters.
Justice Mobile will be the first mass-market experiment in applying general AI in a mainstream game. More than 40 million players have pre-registered to experience the game.
NetEase's AI lab has trained its own large language model, similar to ChatGPT, based on Song Dynasty literature to support in-game feedback, including characters' voices and expressions.
Companies have been forced to delay the release of dozens of games over the past two years, including Microsoft-owned Bethesda's Starfield and Nintendo's latest The Legend of Zelda.
John Riccitiello, chief executive of San Francisco-based Unity, said the impact of AI on gaming “could be bigger and faster” than previous changes to graphics cards or smartphones.
NetEase says Justice Mobile's NPCs will be "autonomous" and "lifelike" when conversing with players. These characters will also develop their own personality traits instead of relying on scripted interactions like in-game characters typically do.
Ubisoft is also experimenting with automating some in-game scripts using its Ghostwriter tool, while Roblox says it will let players create in-game content using text instead of coding.
Venture capitalists at Andreessen Horowitz predict that companies will save a lot of money on producing new titles. Blockbuster games like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to produce new games.
Julian Togelius, an associate professor in the department of computer science and engineering at New York University, said the games industry is entering a “period of upheaval” in which the “incredible” potential of AI should be used in a balanced way.
Hoang Ton (according to FT)
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