AI in Video Games Will Come Sooner or Later. One Developer Says GTA VI Will Be a Turning Point

One of the most impressive things shown in the only trailer for GTA VI so far is the detailed and hyper-realistic graphics in sequences that appear to be gameplay in many cases. We’re all prepared for a downgrade in the final product to reveal that it was all cinematics. However, the illusion that the images in the trailer are more or less actual gameplay powered by the RAGE game engine persists. And some are willing to reveal how Rockstar could have developed these graphics.

In an interview with youtuber SanInOPlay, the company’s veteran developer Obbe Vermeij—who worked at the studio until GTA IV and especially on San Andreas—said that Rockstar may be using a technology for animation based on artificial intelligence. It’s not just an assumption, but Vermeij supports his statements in a particular moment in the trailer.

This scene has attracted the most attention from gamers. It’s a seemingly unremarkable moment on the beach with many people performing different actions. Vermeij notes that “each character has its own animation,” which is amazing. The developer alludes to rumors that “GTA VI uses some pretty new technology that has to do with animation, AI, and all that.”

Vermeij concludes, “I think it’s time for a revolution where animation is maybe not hand-animated anymore, but it would be more AI-driven and physics-driven,” and clarifies that “we did some of that in GTA IV,” on a much more rudimentary level, of course. He adds, “If anyone is going to make that step, it’s going to be Rockstar.” There’s no doubt that this statement has some logic. No studio today has the power and technical resources to make a change of this magnitude.

This article was written by John Tones and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Image | Rockstar

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