CreateAI banks on gaming and animation

Chinese applied artificial intelligence technology company CreateAI is doubling down on the gaming and animation industry as the rapid evolution of AI is reshaping the digital content landscape through reduced production times and enhanced efficiency, while also expanding creative possibilities.

"In the creative digital content industries, particularly video games and anime, we see AI as a tool to be used by humans," said Cheng Lu, president and CEO of CreateAI, in a recent exclusive interview with China Daily, highlighting that generative AI will enable people to create their own anime series or even video games in the future.

Lu said this new technology brings two major shifts. First, it empowers users and fans to generate content that was previously impossible without AI-generated content or AIGC. Second, AI significantly enhances and streamlines existing workflows, as AIGC and other AI tools can accelerate the development of animations and games, improving efficiency by anywhere from 20 percent to 90 percent, depending on the project type.

"As a content developer focused on video games and anime, we believe compelling storytelling and high-quality graphics are essential to creating products that appeal to a global audience. To achieve this, we integrate various technologies, including motion capture and AIGC," Lu said.

The company has invested heavily in new technologies like motion capture and AI to make higher quality content more efficiently, and also launched Asia's largest motion capture center in Beijing.

"We built this studio primarily for our flagship project, Heroes of Jin Yong, a triple-A game adapted from works of Jin Yong (Louis Cha). At the same time, the facility is also available for third-party use. We hope this initiative helps elevate the overall quality of digital content produced in China," Lu said.

CreateAI has also announced the launch of the studio version of Animon.ai, the world's first anime-specific AI video generation platform. "Animon.ai is trained and tailored specifically for anime production, which means it delivers higher quality, better consistency, and motion that authentically reflects the anime style," he said.

The platform also focuses on building a community around user-generated content as Lu believes that anime fans will enjoy sharing their work and collaborating with each other.

When asked about concerns over AI replacing human creators, he believes that AI could benefit humans by allowing creators to develop more content, and that it's more about how it changes the development process rather than replacing human jobs.

"AI expands the creativity of human beings, allowing us to create things that were previously difficult or time-consuming. It helps streamline production so creators can focus on what truly matters: storytelling and innovation."

Lu said he is very optimistic about the prospects of China's gaming and animation industry as China is already the world's largest video games market, and Chinese studios are increasingly producing content for global audiences, as demonstrated by recent world-class content like Black Myth: Wukong and Ne Zha 2. "We believe China is well-positioned to become an even bigger player on the global stage."

Revenue of the domestic games market reached 168 billion yuan ($23.58 billion) in the first half of the year, up 14.08 percent year-on-year, according to a report released the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association.

The report said independently developed Chinese games in the overseas markets exceeded $9.5 billion, up 11.07 percent from a year earlier. The United States, Japan and South Korea continued to be the main overseas markets for Chinese games, accounting for 55.63 percent of total sales.

As for overseas expansion plans, Lu said the company has operations in Japan, given its importance in animation, and also has plans to work with global IP. "We are always open to collaborating with top-tier IP that has strong local domestic appeal and global potential."

Unlike live-action content, games and animation transcend cultural and linguistic barriers more easily, offering a unique opportunity for Chinese content to reach international audiences, he added.

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn