Future of AI in gaming: Generative AI companies

AI has long been a part of game development. Traditionally, it’s been used to do things like add difficulty to combat encounters, enable adaptive gameplay, and generate procedural content. With recent advancements in AI, artificial intelligence is now poised to revolutionize the gaming industry once again.

Many top gaming companies have announced their intention to leverage AI in video games in innovative ways moving forward. For example, Unity has announced an AI marketplace of solutions, as well as AI-powered asset development. Meanwhile, Roblox is beginning to leverage 3rd party AI creation tools as part of their Roblox Studio.

Generative AI in gaming has the ability to transform how games are made and played – from NPC interactions and level design to improved pathfinding capacities and texture quality. That’s given rise to a rich ecosystem of top AI companies and generative AI startups working to tackle game development challenges or streamline workflows. 

With such a vibrant ecosystem of AI in game development solutions, we wanted to provide an overview of the most exciting AI in gaming companies. Our goal is to give you an idea of top AI companies in gaming and what they're building.

Character Engine - Generative AI companies in gaming

AI in gaming companies are changing what gamers expect from NPCs in games. A recent report found that 84% of gamers find NPC quality makes a difference in gameplay and 99% believe that AI NPCs would improve game play. Generative AI startups like Inworld have the capacity to expand what’s possible in games with NPCs that go beyond dialogue trees and introduce new game mechanics and game play. 

Inworld AI 

Link: Inworld AI
Category: Generative AI startups, NPCs

The leading Character Engine for adding AI NPCs in your game, Inworld recently announced a co-development partnership with Xbox and Microsoft. Inworld’s AI NPCs have an unprecedented range of emotions and behaviors due to a comprehensive suite of features including long-term memory, goals and actions, 4th Wall, configurable safety, and dynamic relationships. Inworld also offers knowledge features to make sure AI NPCs only act on information that would be reasonable for that particular NPC to know. 

Environment - Generative AI companies in gaming

Some AI companies are now developing tools that leverage generative AI to assist in creating game worlds. This is beyond just using AI to create assets like individual buildings but could be used to create concept art, prototypes, or procedurally generated worlds. From the mouse that scurries through a basement to the individual grains of sand that make up a beach, these generative AI startups are transforming how game worlds are created. 

Promethean AI 

Link: Promethean AI 
Category: Generative AI startups, virtual worlds

Promethean AI is among the top AI companies creating AI in game development products. They leverage machine learning technology to assist digital world creators in realizing their projects by automating routine tasks. It extends the scalability and capabilities that were once limited to major studios to development teams of all sizes.

Blackshark AI

Link: Blackshark AI
Category: Generative AI startups, 3D maps and worlds 

Blackshark AI is well-known for creating a photorealistic and searchable twin of the planet Earth. Any missing aspects from the photos they use to develop their 3D environment models are filled in with their AI model. Their tech was used by Microsoft Flight Simulator to create an unprecedented 3D flight experience. 

Environment and Worlds - Other top AI companies in games

• Procedural Worlds - Creates procedurally generated worlds with easy-to-use software.
• MLXAR -  Creates 3D models while working within style and gameplay constraints.
• Mirage -  An infinite asset library that can be searched using plain language.
• Opus - A generative AI world building tool. 
• Geppetto -  A 3D environment creation tool that leverages generative AI. 
• Lovelace Studios - A tool that creates playable generative game worlds at runtime.

AI hardware and engines - Generative AI companies in gaming

As AI in gaming becomes more mainstream, more big gaming companies are expected to announce their use of generative AI such as a recent partnership between Inworld and Xbox and Unity’s new suite of AI tools. To scale the use of AI in game development, AI hardware companies will be crucial. 

Microsoft

Link: Microsoft
Category: AI companies, AI tools

Microsoft is working with leading AI companies to create and scale a suite of AI-powered development tools for Xbox. These game development tools will include a design co-pilot and an AI character runtime engine co-developed with Inworld AI.

Unity Technologies

Link: Unity
Category: AI companies, AI engine

Unity has expressed considerable excitement for AI with their AI Marketplace in the Unity Asset Story and their Unity’s Muse platform. Muse provides tools to streamline game coding and development through a chatbot which has access to the platform’s resource library.

Epic Games

Link: Epic Games
Category: AI companies, AI engine

Already a company leading the integration of generative AI in gaming, the MetaHuman animator already lets dev take a picture and create a fully animated model of a person's face with near perfect accuracy. These animations can be used by game developers for NPCs or for player characters. Epic Games also recently announced they would welcome AI games on their platform, in opposition to the more cautious approach being taken by Steam and Valve. 

NVIDIA

Link: NVIDIA
Category: AI companies, AI hardware

NVIDIA and AI go together like Mario and Luigi. The company is expanding their AI in gaming products to offer even more advanced hardware resources for every layer of stack development. These include accelerated computing, essential AI software, and AI foundries.

AI hardware & engines - Other top AI companies in games

• Intel - Intel’s Xeon processors allow for the highest level of AI development in gaming.
• Tensorflow - An open source machine learning library.
• DeepMind -  Pushing the limits of AI, DeepMind has recently created Lyria, an advanced tool for AI music creation.
• Perplexity AI -  An AI model that a user can ask questions of that describes itself as a blend of ChatGPT and Google.
• Chai AI -  A chatbot trained with a proprietary data set of billions of chat messages
• Prima Labs -  An AI startup using AI in computer-vision research with applications in gaming. 

Animation - Generative AI companies in gaming

These generative AI startups are building tools which allow game developers to animate more lifelike characters in increasingly streamlined and efficient ways.

RADiCAL

Link: RADiCAL
Category: Generative AI startups, 3D motion and animation

This generative AI company creates AI-powered 3D motion capture using any kind of recording. It removes the need for expensive motion-capture suits and studios and allows motion capture to seamlessly occur from any device, even your smartphone.

Kinetix

Link: Kinetix
Category: Generative AI startups, animation and emotes

One of the best AI companies for animation, Kinetix's SDK and API infuses your game with a robust emote library while also giving end-users the capacity to create their own emotes. Players can also record themselves performing an emote and then use Kinetix’s emote updater to put that original emote into your game world.

Animation - Other top AI companies in games

• DeepMotion - This tool uses generative AI to transform text into animation.
• Move AI - This startup AI company turns 2D video into 3D motion data using AI and biomechanics.
• Plask - This AI company enables frame-by-frame motion capture using only video files.
• Latent Technologies - This tool uses movement generated by neural networks trained using generative modeling.
• Wonder Dynamics - This AI tech automatically animates and composes characters into any scene.

Graphics & game assets - Generative AI companies in gaming

Game developers are increasingly experimenting with using large language models (LLMs) to create in-game assets including artwork or 3D models. The AI asset tools created by these AI in game development companies could offer the opportunity to streamline prototyping and development workflows. 

Layer AI 

Link: Layer AI 
Category: Generative AI startups, digital assets

Layer AI uses machine learning technology to create any game asset off a single reference image in the same style as the referent. Layer AI gives the scale and power previously available exclusively to larger studios to development teams at all levels.

Scenario AI 

Link: Scenario AI 
Category: Generative AI startups, digital assets

Scenario AI is a generative AI company that aims to improve workflow in the development process through easily trainable AI models that match the style and aesthetic of the world they are being used in. Their tech can be used to create everything from environments and outfits to seasons.

Graphic and game assets - Other top AI companies

• Meshy AI - Turns text and images into 3D models. 
• Leonardo AI - Combines generative AI technology with creator controls.
• Ready Player Me - An easy-to-integrate avatar creator for personalized characters.
• Kaedim3d - Artist reviewed and refined AI assets.
• Hypothetic - Helps creators more efficiently produce assets using AI powered tools.
• Texture Lab -  A free catalog of high-end textures for use in graphic design.
• Hot Pot -  An AI helper for graphics, images, and writing.
• BariumAI - Generates materials and textures through text inputs.
• Ponzu - An AI generated texturing tool for 3D assets.
• ArmorLab - A tool for AI texture authoring.

Voices - Generative AI companies in gaming

AI for voices uses generative AI to add voices to any aspect of your development project. It can clone your own voice or that of a voice actor whose voice you have licensed but can also use procedurally generated voices.

ElevenLabs

Link: ElevenLabs
Category: Generative AI startups, voice AI

ElevenLabs uses deep learning models to create voices with high-quality output, emotions mapping capabilities, and wide vocal choices. It offers both voice cloning and robust text-to-speech (TTS) software. They are at the cutting edge of top AI development companies working to change the landscape of game development.

Sonantic 

Link: Sonantic
Category: Generative AI startups, AI voice actors

Sonantic, which was acquired by Spotify in 2022, has human-quality synthetic voices that’s highly customizable. It allows game developers to manipulate voice elements, including tone and accent. The company has worked closely with AAA gaming studios.

Voices - Other top AI companies in games

• Resemble.ai -  A generative voice AI that including “watermarking” to avoid IP theft.
• Murf.ai -  Creates studio quality AI voiceovers.
• Bark -  A universal text-to-audio model.
• Coqui -  Clone your voice or use their suite of AI voices.
• Readspeaker.ai -  Creates AI powered TTS for a variety of enterprise facing ends.
• Deepdub –  Localization of entertainment content using deep learning fueled AI.
• LMNT -  Lifelike AI speech synthesis tools across industries.
• Voice.ai -  A real-time voice changer and voice cloning tool. 
• StorytellerAI - Combines AI with user generated content to expand availability of audio and video production.
• Voicemod -  An AI soundboard and voice changer.

Workflow - Generative AI companies in gaming

The development of every game involves a significant amount of repetitive work. AI workflow tools aim to help teams plan and streamline these tasks to make game development more efficient. 

Loci

Link: Loci
Category: Generative AI startups, workflow

Loci is a tagging model designed for 3D assets that facilitates workflow automation with the help of advanced machine learning techniques. It can instantly process and organize thousands of 3D assets allowing creators to focus on creation. It’s powered by technology developed at Cambridge University and MIT. It also has an API designed for ease-of-integration into existing workflows.

Polyhive

Link: Polyhive
Category: Generative AI startups, workflow 3D content

Polyhive is a leading AI company when it comes to game art workflow tools. Polyhive reduces manual texturing time by over 90 percent. Powered by generative AI, the tool ensures artist integrity and control of any assets generated. Outputs can even be customized through its powerful API to ensure easy integration into existing workflows.

AI workflow - Other top AI companies in games

• Machinations - A platform to design, prototype, and handoff game systems. 
• Modl.ai -  An AI-powered testing platform to detect glitches and performance issues.
• Hypothetic - A 3D art creation platform focused on collaboration and workflow.
• Echo3D -  One of the top AI development companies who facilitates 3D focused asset management that can be scaled based on studio size.

Ops and development - Generative AI companies in gaming

AI ops and development tools are all about streamlining the development and delivery of your game, helping with everything from game testing to live-service moderation. Leading AI companies in ops and development make your game better for players by improving performance and player experience.

GGWP

Link: GGWP
Category: Generative AI startups, AI moderation

This is a top AI development company who provides an AI moderation tool to reduce instances of toxicity in a games’ player base. It keeps human mods focused only on situations that demand their attention and lets AI triage the majority of reports. It does all of this while securing players data and being compliant with data-related regulatory requirements.

Agentic

Link: Agentic
Category: Generative AI startups, testing

Agentic is a leading AI company when it comes to scaling AI testing capabilities. The AI startup’s tools allows a studio to scale a testing team through services like bug finding and generating performance reports or playing the game at scale to get all of the needed analytics and data-points you need to market and design your game. Agentic’s tools can also serve as players to play against to ensure that matchmaking services always find a result for any player.

AI game ops - Other top AI companies in games

• Jig Analytics -  A web3 anti-bot to stop bot based exploitation of your game.
• Modulate - The only voice AI powered voice chat moderation software.
• Oterlu - An up-and-coming AI company that detects and removes toxicity from chats and forums associated with your game.

AI game tools - Generative AI companies in games

There are a number of AI startups that are creating tools to create an AI game or help at any stage of the process – all within their platform. Many also have AI games as samples that gamers and developers can play. 

Latitude.io

Link: Latitude.io
Category: Generative AI startups, generated games

This generative AI startup created AI dungeon, a text-based game with near infinite customizability. They have also created tools like their AI Art Studio to create visual assets and have announced the development of Voyage Studio, a tool for allowing anyone to create AI experiences in their games.  

Ludo

Link: Ludo
Category: Generative AI startups, ideation and planning

Ludo is an AI development company that provides tools to help developers. Their platform can use AI for market analysis to help aid in early stages of development. Ludo also can create AI-generated ideas for any stage of the development process.

AI games - Other top AI companies in games

• Hidden Door - A social roleplaying game powered by Narrative AI that also has a platform anyone can use to create AI games. 
• Spellbrush - Create an AI that creates custom anime illustrations.
• Regression Games -  An all-in0one AI agent framework for studios which includes narrative development and automated QA testing, among other features.
• Oneirocom -  An up-and-coming AI company that designs AI tools to solve problems of character creation and generation, managing narratives, and engaging users.
• Sefi AI - An AI development company that has an engine that funnels user-data into generative AI to build personalized game content.
• Cathedral Studios -  An AI company fusing AI with gaming and web3.
• Moatboat - A tool that allows users to build an AR and VR world by just saying their ideas out loud.
• Unakin.ai - An up and coming AI company building autonomous game creation agents.

Music & sound - AI companies in games

Music is an important element of immersion.. AI tools that are focused on enhancing sound and music range from everything from cleaning up old recordings to using AI to compose entirely new songs.

GameSynth

Link: GameSynth
Category: Generative AI startups, audio engine

GameSynth is a sound design tool that leverages procedural audio to provideI near infinite sound variations. It generates sounds based on patches a game dev designs in the tool and allows for real-time input parameters from the game. All of this being done with a straightforward and easily scalable API.

Aiva

Link: Aiva
Category: Generative AI startups, music generation

Aiva has designed a tool that can generate new songs in a myriad of different styles to be generated. It even allows for creation of custom style models, as well as modeling song design off of uploaded MIDI files.

AI music & sound - Other top AI companies in games

• Krotos -  Creates AI generated sound effects with the AI Foley Engine.
• Musico -  An AI startup that created an AI composer powered by combinatory algorithms and machine learning.
• PlusMusic -  An adaptive Audio AI that maps music to any thematic element of a game.
• Infinite Album -  Creates infinitely generatable AI music for games. 

The promise of generative AI for game development

AI in gaming companies holds the potential to democratize game development by allowing smaller studios to become competitive in the gaming marketplace in ways they could never previously have imagined. 

These tools have the capacity to streamline workflow processes allowing for faster time-to-market for games and richer and more realized worlds. It’s exciting to see so many AI in gaming companies poised to help gaming studios expand their game worlds and improve the player experience. 

Curious about AI NPCs? Learn more about what a Character Engine does or try out the Inworld Studio today to experience the future of NPCs.