AI is taking centre stage as Sony launches a new internal game studio, Dark Outlaw, with Black Ops veteran Jason Bundell at the helm. But what's most striking is that they won't be developing their titles in the traditional way — instead, they'll (almost) entirely rely on tools like Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT, and Midjourney.
In a job posting, they write:
"We are seeking a Senior Concept Artist to join our LA studio, reporting directly to our Art Director. The ideal candidate is proactive, with strong skills in digital illustration, 3D modeling, character design, graphic design, experience with generative AI tools, and passionate about making games. Help us create our next AAA title — one that will truly stand apart from the rest!"
As some of you may recall, Sony has previously experimented with AI-driven characters and even built a prototype of Aloy from Horizon that could be interacted with via voice commands. The tech behind this included OpenAI's Whisper and GPT-4, along with Sony's own systems for voice synthesis and facial animation — technology that they now want to push even further.
The plan, in Bundell's own words, is to "reimagine the development process" for AAA games.
Are you excited about a future of AAA games primarily built with generative AI?