For three years, Ludo.ai has been integrating AI into game development tools. Now, it’s leveraging generative AI with its latest creation: a text-to-video generator tool for game developers.
Tom Pigott, CEO of Ludo.ai, announced the beta release of the Video Generator tool. This innovation allows game developers to swiftly and effortlessly create gameplay videos, marking a new era in visualizing game concepts.
With the Video Generator, text prompts are converted into captivating gameplay videos in a matter of seconds.
Pigott expressed, “Here at Ludo, we recognize the rising expenses linked to game development, particularly for indie developers. Through our Video Generator, we’re streamlining the conceptualization and production process, allowing developers to visually showcase their ideas, providing an authentic preview of their games in motion.”
Piggott mentioned that his team has dedicated considerable time to AI game tools, noting the unsurprising emergence of generative AI as a transformative technology in the gaming industry over the past year.
“In the past couple of years, our focus was on educating and emphasizing the transformative impact of these tools. However, much of that groundwork was already laid out by Open AI, ChatGPT, and other image generators,” Pigott remarked.
The Video Generator serves as a dynamic tool, inspiring creators to vividly visualize their gaming concepts. It effortlessly transforms simple text prompts into valuable insights, depicting game scenes, narratives, and dynamics within minutes. This accelerated visualization process reduces the risk of lost development hours by speeding up experimentation and prototyping. Currently, it produces three-second videos for developers.
According to Pigott, the Video Generator doesn’t just boost productivity; it also fuels creativity, streamlining the translation of game ideas into reality. It represents a pivotal advancement, enhancing efficiency for game developers worldwide.
Ludo.ai addresses various pre-production challenges by offering tools for prototyping and leveraging AI in the ideation phase. With a suite that includes ideation and image generation, the addition of video generation now allows the company to generate gameplay footage for games that are still in the conceptual stage. This functionality provides insight into the potential appearance and gameplay of a game in its advanced stages, facilitating easier project approval from executives, Pigott explained
“It provides a great deal of flexibility and speed,” remarked Pigott. “I foresee that in 2024, AI-generated video will become ubiquitous.”
The tool currently generates video clips lasting between five to ten seconds. Leveraging various source models, the company tailors the tool’s capabilities to its focus on game development.
“We’re not aiming to cater to every need,” Pigott clarified.
Pigott highlighted the presence of multiple AI experts in the team, noting the rapid advancement of technology, particularly in recent years. However, he doesn’t foresee AI leading to job displacement in the gaming industry. Instead, he anticipates game developers transitioning into curators and editors of game assets.
“It alleviates the burden of repetitive tasks and variations. For smaller game companies, it provides an affordable means to level the playing field,” Pigott remarked.
According to Pigott, the industry layoffs this year weren’t primarily due to AI but were more a result of game launches falling short of expectations.
The beta feature allows developers to use their existing video footage, processing it through the Video Generator for experimentation with new features and elements. This innovative approach, driven by AI-generated content analysis, broadens developers’ possibilities to dynamically analyze, adapt, and implement changes.
Regarding competition, Pigott expressed little concern.
“We offer a suite of tools designed specifically for game developers,” he stated. “Our aim is to become the primary platform for small and medium-sized studios seeking AI tools.”
“We’re quite optimistic about 2024, especially regarding this video tool,” Pigott added.
Despite significant opportunities, Pigott mentioned the company’s deliberate approach to seeking external funding, currently focusing on generating its revenue.
With over 30,000 users, the platform was free until a few months back, and now it’s in the monetization phase.
“Our primary objective remains unchanged since the outset: to be the comprehensive AI-driven platform for game developers,” Pigott emphasized.
Pigott anticipates that the next progression in AI will be 3D asset generation, potentially starting within user-generated content (UGC) before reaching professional applications. However, he acknowledged that this advancement might pose challenges due to the complexities involved in physics.