During the results presentation on Friday, Sony detailed its vision on the use of artificial intelligence in the development of games for PlayStation. The company describes it as a powerful tool that can streamline several processes, although always with the focus on empowering the work of its creators
.
According to them, the vision, design and emotional impact of games will continue to emerge from the talent of their studios and artists. AI is intended to increase the capabilities of teams, not to replace them
.
In their own studios, developers are already automating repetitive tasks, improving productivity in software engineering and accelerating areas such as quality control, 3D modeling and animation thanks to new AI-powered tools.
One of the concrete examples is the tool called Mockingbird, which animates 3D facial models based on performance capture data. What used to take hours is now completed in a fraction of a second
.
Studios that already use
it
Studios such as Naughty Dog, creators of The Last of Us, and Santa Monica Studio, responsible for God of War, have already adopted this animation tool. Work with Mockingbird even appeared in titles such as Horizon Zero
Dawn Remastered.
Sony clarified that they are not replacing human actors, but are optimizing the processing of data obtained from live captures.
In addition, the company partnered with Bandai Namco to explore how generative AI and other technologies can help materialize the vision of creators in video productions. These tests detected significant gains in speed and productivity per person
.
AI makes it possible to generate very sophisticated and realistic results that were previously difficult to achieve due to time constraints. However, they also recognize weaknesses such as the lack of consistency and control in generative models
.
Context of financial results
In the same earnings statement, Sony reported that PS5 sales fell 46 percent year-on-year, following significant price increases. Despite this, the focus on technological innovation such as AI shows where they are pointing for the future of gaming
.
The adoption of these tools in large productions marks a change in the industry, although many independent developers are still keeping away from generative AI. PlayStation seeks to balance technological efficiency with the human creative essence.
Advances in animation and automation allow teams to spend more time on what truly defines a game: its narrative, gameplay, and emotional connection with players.
