Blizzard Entertainment, the masterminds behind games like World of Warcraft and Overwatch, have a brand-new magic trick up their sleeve: Blizzard Diffusion, an AI tool that cranks out concept art and images for video games.
- According to an email from Allen Adham, Blizzard's chief design officer, the company is gearing up for "a major evolution in how we build and manage our games."
Zoom In; Blizzard Diffusion - named after the renowned text-to-image generator, Stable Diffusion - has reportedly been trained on the studio's IP, which includes games such as Diablo and World of Warcraft.
- The tool is expected to snip out the monotony of design tasks, making room for creativity to blossom.
- The unveiling follows Blizzard's application for a patent for AI tech to generate artwork for video games.
- The AI system would mimic pre-existing images to create game graphics in specific art styles, offering a potential shortcut in building expansive virtual realms.
Zoom Out: With great AI comes great responsibility - or, in this case, potential job cuts, as developers voice concerns about the implications of the new tool.
