Visitors play the Warriors All-Stars video game in the Koei Tecmo Holdings booth during the Tokyo Game Show 2017 at Makuhari Messe on September 21, 2017 in Chiba, Japan.
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Getty Images News | Getty Images
TOKYO — Video games are in focus with the Tokyo Game Show 2023 underway — but a few of the biggest game developers in Japan say hot trends like generative AI and virtual reality/augmented reality headsets for game development may not be ready yet.
Game developers like Japan’s Koei Tecmo have been using conventional algorithmic AI “for a very long time,” Hisashi Koinuma, president and chief operating officer of Koei Tecmo Games told CNBC, but challenges still remain when utilizing the latest iteration — generative AI — in game development.
“We’re not yet at the stage of integrating generative AI into our products, but are in the technique of testing various ways to integrate it in the future,” Koinuma said Wednesday.
“We’re still in the technique of researching and studying how and to what extent generative AI, including rights-related issues, will profit game production, and the way much it will contribute to making higher games.”
The problem with copyright concerns is not one shared by Koei Tecmo alone.
Earlier in September, Microsoft told users of Copilot, its generative AI service, the company will assume obligation if there is any copyright infringement.
The chances in the gaming space are huge.
Nvidia demonstrated in August the potential for gamers to interact with non-player characters in latest ways with the Nvidia Ace and Nemo SteerLM, in what was mooted as “bringing intelligence to non-playable characters (NPCs) through AI-powered natural language interactions” — a move that has the potential to revolutionize the industry.
While generative AI might be a latest frontier, the surge in development of VR & AR headsets is one other, particularly following Apple‘s Vision Pro announcement last quarter, Meta’s continual development of their Quest line of products and Sony‘s recent VR2 release.
But for a lot of, the games available thus far have not met the expectations of the devices.
It’s a sense shared by veteran developer Koinuma who is enthusiastic about the possibilities, but cautious on the execution after an initial foray into the space.
“We were one in all the first firms that attempted to develop VR games,” he said. “Nonetheless, it was still too early: There have been various obstacles, resembling the gadgets themselves not being suitable for taking part in games for long periods of time.”
“We felt that these products were not yet at the stage of being a tool that would provide pure enjoyment which you can get from playing games,” Koinuma added.
“So, VR, Meta, or whatever, I spotted after my first entry that it would be difficult for us to be successful in the market until the ‘soil’ is cultivated well for users to be able to play games with latest devices for a very long time. So we would love to try again when the time comes.”