Tokyo Game Show 2024 is one of the biggest events this year for gaming. It’s also a chance for new gaming tech to emerge. It just so happens that one of those gaming techs is generative AI that seeks to fill in for a labor shortage for game developers. Currently, its goal is to speed up the game development process though it likely can have more applications and usages beyond that.
Among the 985 exhibitors at the Tokyo Game Show, several AI startups have presented their own AI tech with some groundbreaking capabilities. HechicerIA is one of those AI startups. It’s a Spain-based company that showcased AI software that can convert text into 3D videos and animations.
For starters, this might eliminate the need for artists and video editors for video game cutscenes. It’s similar to other generative AI for static imagery, but the prompt input is less intensive on instructions as users can simply input short phrases or sentences for the AI to create a whole cutscene.
Meanwhile, companies like Techno-Speed Inc. have showcased an AI tech that can provide live commentaries for sports games. According to Techno-Speed Inc., companies like Konami Digital Entertainment Co. have already adopted their technology in their latest games.
Other AI-enhanced experiences, such as the one from Sunny Café use AI to drive dynamic conversations with real players. This tech demonstration from the Taiwanese indie game can be quite a huge development for the dating-sim genre.
It is worth noting that the aforementioned labor shortage for game developers might be limited to Japan. That’s why AI can fill in for the missing game developers in that particular industry. In Western countries, however, the situation is somewhat the opposite. The use of AI in game development has contributed to mass layoffs in the video game industry in some sectors.
