Sony says AI development tools will flood market with more games as PlayStation studios adopt AI
16 Sources
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Sony says "efficient" AI tools will lead to even more games flooding the market
Anyone following the modern game industry knows that easy-to-use game engines and the accelerating shift to digital distribution have helped enable a massive increase in the quantity of commercial games released each year, both on console storefronts and especially on Steam. Now, Sony Interactive
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PlayStation sees AI as a 'powerful tool' to help make games
As part of an earnings presentation on Friday, Sony shared how it's thinking about AI at the company, including many details about how it's evaluating AI as part of making PlayStation games. Generative AI has recently been showing up in bigger games -- though many indie developers still reject it
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Sony and Bandai get into bed with generative AI - Engadget
Sony is partnering with Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. (the parent company of Bandai Namco Entertainment) on a "collaborative pilot initiative" focused on generative AI and its role in the future of video production. AI was a big theme in the company's latest earnings and corporate strategy
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'We see AI as a powerful tool to help us in this mission' -- PlayStation CEO lays out plan to use AI for future game development
Hideaki Nishino envisions a brighter future for PlayStation with AI in mind Gamers have made it abundantly clear that they have no love for AI being used to generate art in their favorite and upcoming titles. They're also not huge fans of learning that studios are implementing AI into their
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Sony assures that AI is only meant to 'augment' artists' capabilities instead of replacing them but it feels like a slippery slope
In its latest earnings call, Sony included a corporate strategy for the future of the brand, and as you might be able to expect from any figurehead talking to investors, there's a lot of talk about AI. As noted by GamesIndustry.biz, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki believes "AI will make it easier to take
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Sony and Bandai Namco announce generative AI collaboration to find how the tech can "effectively contribute to realising a creator's vision"
Sony and Bandai Namco have announced a "collaborative initiative" focused on AI and the latest technologies can aid game development. In a Sony corporate strategy presentation and earnings announcement (per Variety, who first reported the below quotes), coinciding with its 2025/2026 fiscal report,
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Sony sees AI as a 'powerful tool' and already used AI animation tech in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
In a recently released corporate strategy presentation, Hideaki Nishino, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, detailed the company's approach to using AI in game development. Nishino described AI as a "powerful tool" to support Sony's mission to become the best place to play and
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Sony Interactive Entertainment chief says AI will enable 'gaming experiences like never before,' and I wonder: How long are these guys going to talk about it before we actually start seeing it?
Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Hideaki Nishino used Sony's latest quarterly financial report to share some thoughts on the role that AI will play in the future of game development, and if you're thinking that he might temper his enthusiasm in the face of consumer discontent, all I
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PlayStation Boss Embraces AI To 'Unleash Creativity" In Gaming
PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino devoted a surprisingly long portion of his recent Sony earnings presentation remarks to making the case for AI and how it will benefit gaming and the company's bottom line. He was not subtle, and he didn't hedge, laying out an ambitious vision that sees AI tools
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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered used PlayStation's new AI animation tool, and Naughty Dog and San Diego Studio are both following suit
"Animation work that would have taken hours can now be completed in a fraction of a second" Sony's latest financial report is in, and would you believe it? The company is keen to tell investors just how much its business is going to be improved by AI. PlayStation is just one part of the larger
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PlayStation is already prepping us for more AI in first-party game development | Stuff
Sony has detailed some of its plans to use more AI in first-party PlayStation game development, calling it a "powerful tool" but also promising "human creativity" will continue to take centre stage. In comments that sound like the beginning of a creeping influence that will eventually undermine
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Sony Doubles Down on AI in PlayStation Studios, but Insists Human Creators Won't Be Replaced
A few days ago, alongside its quarterly financial report, Sony revealed that it has already embraced AI tools to empower the game development of its own first party studios. More information about this strategy is now available via the Corporate Strategy Earnings Presentation, delivered by Sony CEO
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Sony has already used AI animation technology, and you probably didn't even know it
Sony is using AI, just like everyone else these days. But there is a difference, how companies are informing about their use of AI technologies. According to Tweak Town, Sony sees AI as a "powerful tool" and has already used AI animation technology in Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered. Recently
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Sony Becomes Biggest Publisher to Openly Embrace AI in Game Development, Just Months After Larian's Backlash
Alongside the earnings report, Sony today is revealing a wide-ranging generative AI strategy built around a single guiding principle: AI augments human creativity; it doesn't replace it. Speaking at the FY25 earnings presentation, Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki said: Human creativity must remain at
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'Not a Replacement for Artists or Creators': PlayStation Reveals AI Use, Says Studios Like Naughty Dog Already Working With Tools
Sony has detailed its strategy for using AI tools in game development, while stating that "human creativity must remain at the center" of PlayStation's creative efforts. Speaking today during an investor-focused results presentation, via Variety, Sony boss Totoki Hiroki dubbed AI as "a powerful
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Sony PlayStation CEO Nishino Hideaki reveals how AI is used to create games, calls it a powerful tool
Almost every industry out there has been using AI in one way or another. However, when we talk about gaming, the use of AI has often been criticised. Be it indie games or AAA titles, big gaming studios or small ones, the use of AI has always been a debatable topic. And now, Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki
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Sony Interactive Entertainment predicts a surge in game releases as AI development tools lower creation barriers. CEO Hideaki Nishino revealed PlayStation studios already use AI to automate repetitive workflows in quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation—including a tool called Mockingbird that completes hours of animation work in seconds.
Sony AI Strategy Promises More Games Through Faster Development
Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Hideaki Nishino announced during a Friday investor presentation that AI in game development will trigger a "meaningful increase in the volume and diversity of content available to players"
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. The PlayStation chief explained that AI development tools are "lowering barriers to creation, accelerating development cycles, and enabling more creators to enter the market"1
. This shift comes as Sony AI initiatives already show tangible results within first-party studios, where teams automate repetitive workflows across quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation2
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Source: PC Gamer
The company's embrace of AI as a powerful tool reflects broader industry trends, though Sony insists human creativity remains central. Hideaki Nishino emphasized that "the vision, the design, and the emotional impact of our games will always come from the talent of our studios and performers" and that "AI is meant to augment their capabilities, not to replace them"
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. Yet the practical applications suggest significant workflow transformations ahead for PlayStation studios.Mockingbird Tool Transforms Facial Animation Workflows
At the heart of Sony's AI strategy sits Mockingbird, an internal 3D animation tool that converts raw motion capture data into in-game facial animation at unprecedented speeds
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. According to Nishino, "animation work that would have taken hours can now be completed in a fraction of a second"1
. Major PlayStation studios including Naughty Dog and Santa Monica Studio have already integrated Mockingbird into their pipelines, with the tool's output visible in titles like Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered2
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Source: GameReactor
Machine learning models also tackle hair animation, traditionally a labor-intensive process requiring animators to place individual strands manually. Sony's AI to help make games now processes "videos of real hairstyles" and applies them to automated animation models that realistically render "hundreds of strands"
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. While Sony maintains it's "not replacing human performers, but rather optimizing how we process the data from these live captures"2
, the technology fundamentally reshapes production timelines and resource allocation.
Source: Wccftech
Bandai Namco Partnership Explores Generative AI for Video Production
Beyond PlayStation's internal efforts, Sony Group President and CEO Hiroki Totoki highlighted a pilot partnership with Bandai Namco focused on generative AI for video production
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. The collaboration has "identified massive gains in speed and productivity per person"1
, with Totoki noting that AI can produce "highly sophisticated and realistic outputs which were not feasible before due to production time constraints"1
.However, Totoki acknowledged challenges inherent to generative AI models, specifically "a lack of consistency and controllability" that professionals demand in their work
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. Teams have needed to fine-tune generic AI models to address these issues1
. Despite these obstacles, Totoki described AI as "an amplifier of human imagination" while maintaining that "great content comes from deep personal experiences, unique perspectives, and a strong inner motivation to express something meaningful"1
.Related Stories
Developer Efficiency Gains Raise Questions About Industry Impact
The push to augment human creativity through AI raises questions about what increased developer efficiency actually means for the gaming industry. Nishino suggested PlayStation development teams have created "prototypes where NPCs with their own personalities can create a living, dynamic world for the player to explore"
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. The role human artists would play in AI-generated NPC personalities remains unclear, representing a significant departure from traditional game development1
.Efficiency gains don't necessarily translate directly to more game releases. Improvements could reduce the number of human developers needed per project rather than shortening development time
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. Alternatively, more efficient tools might raise baseline quality expectations for high-end development, potentially extending timelines1
. Totoki praised the "efficiency" enabled by AI, claiming it would lead to "more innovative and ambitious projects -- projects that were previously difficult to pursue due to constraints of cost and time"1
.Nishino also claimed AI models can already "outperform manual curation" for game recommendations and could soon suggest "the next gameplay moment, subscription, accessory, or merchandise that best reflects their passion"
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. This positions AI as both creator and curator in an increasingly crowded marketplace. The announcements come as Sony reported a 46 percent drop in PS5 sales year-over-year, with just 1.5 million consoles sold in the last quarter3
, and a $765 million impairment from the Bungie acquisition failing to meet expectations4
. AI also powers PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) upscaling on PS5 Pro, recently updated to support numerous titles3
, signaling AI's expanding role in delivering immersive gaming experiences.References
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