Ninja Theory, the studio known for its highly praised Hellblade games, has announced its plans to use artificial intelligence to develop Hellblade 3. This isn’t a simple use of AI; it represents a significant move into new technology, which is pretty distressing for the gaming industry. While the details about how Ninja Theory will use AI are still unclear, the team has stressed it won’t be used for creating content – for now. The fact that a big studio is embracing AI at all signals a big change.

This announcement came from Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and coincided with the introduction of Microsoft’s Muse AI, a tool designed to assist in game development. This connection adds an interesting angle to the debate about AI’s role in gaming’s future. It makes us wonder if this is the start of an exciting new chapter in gaming or if we are heading towards a future that lacks creativity.

Muse AI May Have Opened The Flood Gates For AI In Games

Microsoft Wants To Revolutionize Game Creation

Microsoft’s Muse AI is a new technology designed to improve how video games are made, according to Spencer’s words in a podcast on the Xbox YouTube channel. It can create gameplay sequences from just a one-second video clip and controller inputs. This means the AI can imagine different situations while following the game’s rules and physics. While this wasn’t used in Hellblade 2, it was trained using data from Ninja Theory’s game, Bleeding Edge.

There are some issues with Muse right now. The gameplay it generates is only in a low resolution of 300×180 pixels, which isn’t up to par with today’s gaming standards. Also, being trained with Bleeding Edge means it will be limited for now. Despite these limitations, Muse shows promise by generating varied gameplay that can be adjusted according to user preferences.

This helps the team decide if new game mechanics or levels are worth developing without wasting resources. This appears to be a case of AI helping to make a prototype faster, which is theoretically good. However, by making Muse’s model weights, data, and user interface available on Azure AI Foundry, Microsoft is encouraging others in the gaming industry to try this technology. New ideas and innovations could inspire these other users in game development, or they could use them negatively.

Remember that AI tools are already widely used in game development, though many studios keep their use private. For instance, NVIDIA’s DLSS (Deep Learning Super Samplig) is a known standard for improving image quality in real time. Many games use AI to automate the creation of game elements like levels and textures, which helps speed up the development process. Some are also exploring AI tools for animation, character behavior, and quality assurance testing. AI can use countless gameplay scenarios to find bugs more efficiently than manual testing.

In the near future, we can expect to see more studios using AI in different areas of game development, including Xbox’s misguided ideas about remastering classic games with generative models. The focus will likely – and hopefully – be on how AI can support and improve human creative work rather than replace it. As more AI tools are developed, studios can theoretically expect faster development cycles and potentially more innovative game designs. Open-sourcing projects like Muse will play a key role in this progress, good or bad.

Ninja Theory Is Bold Enough To Declare AI Use

AI For Development Processes, Not Content Creation

 

Ninja Theory, the developer known for the critically acclaimed Hellblade games, has openly discussed using artificial intelligence to make Hellblade 3. In the podcast mentioned above, the team explained that they plan to use AI but not to create content. Instead, the team will use AI to make their work processes smoother and improve overall development. This level of honesty is quite different from how many other game developers tend to keep their AI use a secret.

Ninja Theory’s decision to speak out shows the studio’s confidence in its approach and how AI feels less frightening. While many game studios likely use AI differently, not many have been willing to discuss it openly, leaving a lot of uncertainty in the field. In Ninja Theory’s development process, Muse helps with brainstorming and quick prototyping, allowing developers to visualize new game ideas quickly. That’s a good use for AI.

What We’d Call AI Today Helped Make Computer Animation

Tweening Would Be Called AI

Custom Image by Jorge Aguilar

Hellblade’s developers aren’t the first trailblazers. Before advanced computer animation software, creating smooth movements in animated films was a labor-intensive process known as tweening. Animators would draw keyframes, the main frames showing the start and end of an action. To make the movement look fluid between these keyframes, they needed to create many additional frames called in-betweens. This task was done by specialized artists, known as “tweeners,” who manually drew these frames.

Tweener’s work was repetitive and often considered tedious, leading to high turnover rates and substantial costs for animation studios. Then, Ed Catmull, soon-to-be one of the founders of Pixar, invented Tween, a software that could be categorized among modern AI models, since it learned from what was happening on screen.

The introduction of automated tweening changed the animation industry dramatically. Digital software could now automatically generate in-betweens from the keyframes, saving time and money. This automation meant studios no longer needed dedicated tweeners, which made the production process more efficient. As a result, the quality of animation and work-life improved. Experienced animators could focus on bigger scenes, and the role of tweeners shifted to junior animator positions, which got smaller scenes, allowing new artists to gain experience and grow in the industry and leading to lower turnover.

The situation with tweening is similar to what we might see with AI in game development. Some necessary tasks can take up a lot of time, often keeping senior artists from focusing on more creative aspects of their work. AI tools could automate many of these mundane jobs, similar to how automated tweening improved animation workflows. Just like in animation, we might see roles in game development evolve, providing more opportunities for junior developers and making better games.

The Future of AI In Video Games Is Being Decided

Navigating AI’s Future In Gaming

Artificial intelligence’s use in video games is growing quickly and has advantages and drawbacks. On the positive side, AI has the potential to make many parts of game development easier and faster. Game designers could use AI to speed up the development process and possibly lower costs. Programmers might also benefit, as AI could take over repetitive tasks, find bugs, and improve code.

However, important ethical issues come with using AI in game development. A major concern is job loss; as AI technology improves, there’s a real worry that many roles currently filled by human artists, designers, and programmers could be diminished, leading to job cuts in the industry. There’s also the risk that relying too much on AI tools could make games feel similar and less unique.

Design homogeneity is a real risk because AI cannot create something entirely new, only amalgamations of the data fed into it.

In the next five to 10 years, we can expect big improvements in AI designed specifically for game development. We’ll likely see AI systems that can create more realistic and varied game elements, build more interactive worlds, and personalize player experiences in new ways. While these developments could greatly change game design and open new creative avenues, they could also go wrong.

The future of video games will depend partially on the industry’s ability to deal with these complex technological and ethical issues. Hellblade 3 using AI in its development isn’t singularly bad, but it’s something of an inevitability. Fighting change is sometimes counterproductive if that change happens regardless. AI in game development could potentially have serious consequences, but Microsoft’s Muse seems like it has begun a new era already, so it will hopefully be used the right way.