TOKYO – The game industry was abuzz with questions over the future of generative AI as the Tokyo Game Show 2024 came to an end on Sunday. AI is being used more and more by game developers to create procedurally generated content, improve NPC behavior, and automate backend tasks like server optimization and quality control.
While some developers are thrilled about how it could expand the possibilities for game design, others express worries that originality and the human touch may be lost.
Many in the industry are adopting AI in spite of these critiques. AI is “the very core of our business,” according to CEO Andrew Wilson, who stated as much during EA’s recent Investor Day. Wilson also mentioned that EA is presently working on more than a hundred AI projects.
A look into the future was provided by the “AI Technology Pavilion” at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, where businesses displayed solutions meant to expedite development, cut expenses, and lessen dependency on large teams.
The senior manager at Equinix, Kiyomichi Arai, expressed hope that AI may speed up the creation of video games. He stated, “AI could increase efficiency by 100 times,” and added that it can also enhance customer service and marketing tactics. But Arai issued a warning, pointing out that there are hazards associated with AI, especially with regard to output accuracy. Global infrastructure provider Equinix is essential to the development of AI and gaming by optimizing cloud services and data centers.
The ZEAL platform StoryAI was another piece of technology on show. It gives developers the opportunity to fine-tune story aspects prior to launch by analyzing audience reactions and providing insights; this is one way that AI may influence storytelling.
AI is also being experimented with by indie developers. Isekai Ryouri (Other-World Cooking), a game developed by small Japanese company VR Imaginators, allows users to design original dishes using generative AI in a matter of seconds, although it would take human artists weeks or months to do the same task.
Japan is a major market for AI in the future, according to Álvaro Sáez, co-founder and CEO of the Spanish business HechicerIA, which specializes in utilizing AI to turn text into 3D films.”What takes months or years now could be reduced to weeks or days in the future,” Sáez stated, emphasizing the significance of understanding copyright laws when developing AI.
However, not all industry players agree on the advantages of AI. Director of operations of Japan-based publisher Beep, Robert Pontow, expressed reservations on AI’s use to creative storytelling.
“You may now use AI alone to make a visual novel. It is capable of creating stories and even art. It’s not my taste, to be honest. Although I hope it stays focused on a certain niche, I can see it being utilized for low-quality stuff.
“Jan Koenigsfeld, production manager of Wizcorp, a company that helps Japanese developers, characterized the technology as “sophisticated automation” rather than true inventiveness. He also questions if AI could ever take the role of translators. “Machine translation is fundamentally flawed because it relies on the people it’s trying to replace to train the AI.”
The discussion about AI’s limitations and possibilities is still as relevant as it has always been, even as its use in the gaming industry grows. “You need the human element to express something,” Koenigsfeld said in his conclusion. There is nothing innovative about AI doing that for you.”
