Microsoft partners with AI company for ‘characters, stories, and quests’

The recent adoption of AI has seen many game publishers look to the technology for assistance with game development. Following the likes of Ubisoft and their ‘AI Ghostwriter’, Microsoft is now partnering with Inworld AI to “allow developers to create AI-powered characters, stories, and quests.”

As reported by The Verge, Microsoft announced a new multi-year partnership with Inworld AI whose character engine is said to be able to dynamically generate stories, quests, and dialogue.

Speaking on this partnership, Haiyan Zhang – the general manager of gaming AI at Xbox – said:

“At Xbox, we believe that with better tools, creators can make even more extraordinary games. This partnership will bring together: Inworld’s expertise in working with generative AI models for character development, Microsoft’s cutting-edge cloud-based AI solutions including Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Research’s technical insights into the future of play, and Team Xbox’s strengths in revolutionizing accessible and responsible creator tools for all developers.”

Adding to this, Ilya Gelfenbeyn – the CEO of Inworld AI – stated “AI has long been an integral part of game development, with applications ranging from enemy AI to procedural generation. The emergence of large language models and generative AI has unlocked new opportunities for storytelling and character engagement within games.”

While it is true that the use of generative AI could lead to an increase in emergent gameplay, there exists the very real fear that the reliance on such technologies could lead to publishers making developers redundant in one form or another. Hopefully this isn’t the case.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this partnership? Should generative AI be used in game development? Let us know your thoughts down below.

Become a Patron!