Amazon, Microsoft and Tencent present AI tools for game developers
Video game development is likely to rely much more heavily on generative AI tools in the future, as the trends at ChinaJoy showed.
(Image: erstellt mit KI in Bing Designer durch heise online / dmk)
Companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Tencent presented their new AI tools for game developers at the ChinaJoy trade fair in Shanghai. These new developments are likely to have a major impact on video game development in the future. ChinaJoy is known for its focus on digital entertainment. As the largest event of its kind in China, it made the introduction of generative AI the central theme of this year's event.
As reported by the South China Morning Post, three industry heavyweights, Amazon, Microsoft and Tencent, presented their AI tools for game developers. Tencent's new AI developer tools are intended to cover the "entire life cycle" of game development, with a focus on generative AI offerings. Tencent emphasized that AI has played a role in the gaming industry since the early 1990s. However, the introduction of generative AI could do far more than traditional AI, especially in the creation of content for future games.
AI tools on the rise
Microsoft primarily relies on Azure OpenAI and Open AI Studio for its AI offerings for game developers, which already supports NPC development in the games sector via the Chinese developer studio Perfect World, for example. Amazon, on the other hand, uses its cloud computing platform AWS and Amazon Bedrock to support gaming companies in development through AI interfaces. Amazon Bedrock is a service that provides basic AI functions via a standardized API.
Chen Liang, General Manager of Tencent Cloud Internet Industry, told the South China Morning Post that "the current boom in generative AI (GenAI) has raised expectations for the entire market". The interest in new AI-supported development tools is correspondingly high.
ChinaJoy, officially known as the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference, is the largest digital entertainment expo in China and one of the largest of its kind in the world. ChinaJoy 2024 was held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center and brought together over 600 exhibitors from 31 countries and regions. At the same time, the Video Game Museum of China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association was opened in Xuhui District, downtown Shanghai, covering over 2000 square meters.
(anw)
