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Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the video game industry, with Chinese developers pioneering new production methods such as AI agents capable of swiftly generating complete games.
“The landscape has shifted dramatically,” stated Lin Rui, art director at Shengqu Games. In the past, artists primarily wanted AI to assist with drawing, and composers sought help with music. Now, some innovative startups are delving into complex AI applications, like agents that can rapidly produce entire games. These tools are still in development, according to the art director behind titles such as The Legend of Mir 2 and The World of Legend.
About 70% to 80% of game development work involves processing art assets, mainly focusing on animation and model creation, explained Liu Qishen, product lead at Tencent’s R&D efficiency and capability department. Tencent has introduced VisVise, a comprehensive AI-based creation platform that includes skinning and animation tools, streamlining various stages of game production.
Liu emphasized that skinning during the rigging process is particularly labor-intensive, accounting for a significant portion of the workload. Tasks that once took between one and a half to three and a half days can now be accomplished within one to three hours using AI tools, reducing manual effort by approximately 70% to 90%.
Tencent has already observed tangible efficiency improvements internally. Data shows that character animation cycles at Photon Studios were cut by 40%. Additionally, prototyping and testing character abilities, which previously took two weeks, now take only three days.
These AI solutions are actively utilized in Tencent’s flagship projects and are available to external partners, including more than 50 companies such as Perfect World and Kuro Games. The company is also expanding internationally, providing trial versions of these tools to major game developers in Japan, South Korea, and Europe.
Limitations in High-Quality 3D Game Development
A year ago, Lin Rui noted AI primarily replaced some 2D art tasks. Today, improvements in 3D tools have significantly lowered production costs, but they are not yet capable of generating high-quality assets suitable for premium games. Based on his team’s testing, current 3D AI tools are insufficient for producing the detailed assets required for top-tier titles.
For instance, the production of Black Myth: Wukong cost over 300 million yuan (approximately $42 million). With art expenses exceeding 100 million yuan, AI can assist in creating about 20% to 30% of secondary assets, saving millions of yuan.
However, Lin pointed out that AI cannot instantly turn someone with limited professional skills into an expert. The gap in quality between individual developers and established, large teams remains substantial. Consequently, smaller and medium-sized teams are leading the adoption of AI tools, while most high-end commercial projects, especially premium games, still avoid widespread AI integration to protect their reputation and ensure R&D stability.
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