Microsoft is partnering with Inworld ai to develop Xbox tools that will allow developers to create ai-powered characters, stories, and quests. The multi-year partnership will include an “ai design co-pilot” system that Xbox developers will be able to use to create detailed scripts, dialogue trees, quest lines and more.
“At Xbox, we believe that with better tools, creators can create even more extraordinary games,” explains Haiyan Zhang, general manager of game ai at Xbox. “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 the Azure OpenAI service, Microsoft Research’s technical expertise in the future of gaming and Team Xbox’s strengths to revolutionize accessibility. and responsible creator tools for all developers.”
The cross-platform ai toolset will include ai design co-pilot for scripts and dialogue, and an ai character engine that can be integrated into games and used to dynamically generate stories, quests and dialogue.
Inworld has been working on ai NPCs that react to a player’s questions, much like ChatGPT or Bing Chat respond to natural language queries. These ai NPCs can respond with unique voices and can include complex dialogue trees or custom dynamic stories within a game. Inworld technology can also be used for storytelling, so companions in top-down RPGs can warn of groups of enemies or players ahead.
“ai has long been an integral part of game development, with applications ranging from enemy ai to procedural generation,” says Ilya Gelfenbeyn, CEO of Inworld ai. “The emergence of large language models and generative ai has opened up new opportunities for storytelling and character engagement within games.”
Microsoft only offers this as an optional tool for game developers, so it will be up to them to decide the level of generative ai in future titles. The endings Developer Embark Studios recently had to defend itself against the use of ai-generated voices, arguing that “making games without actors is not an end goal,” in a ai-criticism-making-games-without-actors-isnt-an-end-goal”>statement to IGN.
Any use of generative ai in creative fields like game design or voice acting is controversial, and the actors union SAG-AFTRA recently voted to approve strike authorization for video game artists. “Between the exploitative uses of ai and lagging wages, those working in video games face many of the same problems as those working in film and television,” said SAG-AFTRA Contracts Director Ray Rodriguez.
Microsoft is positioning its tools as an aid, much like how it has positioned its Copilot system for Microsoft 365 and Windows. “We want to help make it easier for developers to realize their visions, try new things, push the boundaries of current games, and experiment to improve gameplay, player connection, and more,” says Zhang. “We will collaborate and innovate with game creators within Xbox studios, as well as third-party studios, as we develop tools that meet their needs and inspire new possibilities for future games.”
