Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO Hideaki Nishino has said that artificial intelligence tools are set to dramatically increase the number of games released globally in the coming years. Speaking during an investor presentation, Nishino attributed this expected surge to AI's ability to reduce development time and lower entry barriers for game creators. He explained that AI is already being used across Sony's internal studios to automate repetitive tasks in quality assurance, 3D modeling, and animation. One tool, named Mockingbird, converts raw motion capture data into usable in-game animations in seconds—work that previously took hours. Another AI system analyzes videos of real hairstyles and applies them to digital characters, automatically rendering hundreds of hair strands without manual input. This replaces a time-consuming process that once required animators to place each strand by hand. Nishino said these advancements will lead to a "meaningful increase in the volume and diversity of content available to players." Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki echoed this, emphasizing that AI-driven efficiency allows for more ambitious game projects that were once too costly or time-intensive. He cited a pilot collaboration with Bandai Namco that showed significant improvements in speed and individual productivity during video production. While generic AI models required adjustments to maintain consistency and control, Totoki noted they now enable highly realistic outputs previously unachievable due to time limits.
Sony is betting that AI will flood the market with more games, but a surge in volume doesn't guarantee better or even discoverable titles. If AI lets every developer make more content faster, Nigerian players may soon face an even more overwhelming flood of games with little guidance on what's worth their time. A tool that turns motion capture into animation in seconds solves a production problem—not the problem of standing out in an oversaturated market.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
