What you need to know
- CMGE signed a framework agreement with Microsoft to use Azure OpenAI and other Microsoft services to improve games.
- AI will be used to improve CMGE’s R&D efforts and enhance gaming experiences through features such as “intelligent NPC interaction.”
- Sword and Fairy World will be the first CMGE title to utilize Microsoft’s AI cloud technology.
Chinese gaming company CMGE just signed a framework agreement with Microsoft to use Azure OpenAI and other cloud technology from the Redmond-based tech giant. CMGE largely focuses on phone and mobile games, which will be enhanced with big data and Microsoft’s GPT-related technologies.
CMGE announced the news and shared details about the deal (quote translated by Bing):
“In the future, CMGE’s main game products will be connected to Azure OpenAI services in compliance and apply its large-model capabilities to the company’s game product development and operation in the future, so as to reduce costs and increase efficiency, and also bring players a richer game experience.”
In addition to using AI to improve R&D efficiency, CMGE explained that it will use Azure OpenAI to create “intelligent NPC interaction” and to improve the player experience.
The first game from CMGE to utilize Microsoft’s technology will be “Sword and Fairy World,” which is an open-world martial arts game in the metaverse. The game will be available on PC and mobile platforms.
Microsoft is a massive company with several divisions, but it’s noteworthy that the tech giant continues to sign Azure deals with gaming companies in China while Chinese regulators look at Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard.
Florian Mueller, who founded the FOSS Patents blog, reported that “China’s antitrust regulator #SAMR has stopped the clock to give #Microsoft and #ActivisionBlizzard more time to respond to cloud gaming complaints.” Mueller added that Google and NetEase are believed to be complainants, though Google declined to confirm that. His tweet on the subject was shared back in April.
Blizzard ended its licensing agreement with NetEase, which resulted in several Blizzard games being suspended in China earlier this year.
