Auxuman, an AI gaming startup, said it has teamed up with Oorbit to bring generative AI multiplayer gaming to LG Electronics TVs. In Auxuman’s Auxworld app, players can use AI to generate their own multiplayer metaverse by typing text input, similar to how AI tools generate images.
It makes use of Auxuman’s custom AI network, and it’s all part of LG’s plan to make the “metaverse” more accessible to consumers by providing metaverse-like experiences on TVs.
Oorbit wants to use cloud technology to build the world’s premiere technology platform powering the metaverse, and it debuted starting on LG TVs on January 15. And through this partnership, Auxuman’s Auxworld will enable anyone to instantly create an online multiplayer game simply through text input in a manner similar to popular AI image generators.
“The fact that you will be able to do this right from your TV is very exciting for us,” said Negar Shaghaghi, CEO of Auxuman, in an interview with GamesBeat. “Essentially all you need as a consumer to use the Auxworld experience is a text prompt.”
Harnessing the power of generative AI with its own proprietary AI technology, Auxuman’s Auxworld (spelled auxWorld by the company) will empower anyone to create endless multiplayer game sessions easily, quickly and affordably with different IP styles, assets and game modes that they can engage with friends or any community. The result is a fusion of AI and games.
As long as game development is so difficult, time consuming and expensive, it’s going to be only a few people who can dedicate the time and effort to do it, she said.
“We want to change that model,” she said. “You can make it more efficient, in terms of costs and complexity, and more intuitive. This kind of spontaneity for content creation, the way you see on TikTok or Instagram, is really interesting.
When you input text, you are transported into a game world.
“We’re able to connect the intent of the user to all the things that make up a game, like the mechanics, environment, assets and all of that. It’s essentially an unlimited way to assemble games. Every time you come into it, it’s a different thing,” she said.
Of course, games generated like this won’t be very deep.
“My biggest lesson from all of the metaverse experiences that we saw is that it isn’t enough to give people a virtual environment and ask them to join it. That’s why we have experience on both sides (AI and games). One of the things we achieved is that it works very well,” she said. “That’s the result of years of research on how we use AI in a meaningful way.”
“Auxworld revolutionizes the development of virtual worlds and gameplay by providing a simple and streamlined way for anyone to build a completely immersive, engaging and social experience. Only by expanding the definition of ‘game creator’ to anyone with a desire to socialize and express themselves through games, we can truly make our online life more engaging and immersive,” said Shaghaghi. “Through this partnership with LG and Oorbit, we give LG customers the very first opportunity to bring personalized gaming to their own living rooms.”
Gaming is one of the most popular forms of entertainment, but games are expensive and time-consuming to create and are not personalized to consumers like most other social entertainment applications. Platforms that do allow players to use gaming for self-expression or socialization are limited in style and options. All of this changes with the launch of Auxworld, said Shaghaghi.
“Partnering with Auxworld and LG allows customers endless gameplay with the ease of accessing games through their Smart TV,” said Ash Koosha, CEO of Oorbit, in a statement. ”By coupling auxWorld’s no-code gaming with the Oorbit platform, we are continuing our mission to make metaverse gaming vastly more accessible.”
Shaghaghi thinks the primary audience for Auxworld will be young people, including non-traditional gamers who are not as versed in gaming but want to make something fun themselves.
“You don’t really think about being involved in this big game,” she said. “It’s like a spontaneous experience that you can have just like sitting down and watching. I’m pretty excited to cross that chasm and target ordinary people.”
Origins
Shaghaghi started Auxuman in 2019 with a focus on applying AI to build behavior-driven virtual beings (or non-player characters). While Shaghaghi is an AI expert, here cofounder Isabella Winthrop was a big gamer. They saw a lot of potential in blending AI and gaming. And as excitement around generative AI and the metaverse grew, the company’s plan came together.
“Most of what we do is research and development on how we can use AI to simplify game creation. Essentially, when we started the company in 2019, our focus was around adding AI to NPCs or game characters,” Shaghaghi said. “We had NPCs that you could plug into game engines. But over the years, we’ve done a lot of interesting research on how we can use generative AI to facilitate new experiences.”
The team started asking questions, like why are the games so expensive? Why do they take so long to make? Why are the risks so high? The company distilled its vision to making building games as easy as it is to generate social media.
“Only a few people produce games, and a lot of people consume them,” she said. “And we think that if we get to a point where the border between the creator and consumer is blurred — the same way that you have with social media platforms — then we can see true creativity and being spontaneous in the moment. Gaming doesn’t have to be something that lasts for a long time. It can be a disposable content.”
When you’re done playing with a game you have generated, you can decide if you want to keep it or toss it.
The “aha” moment came. And the company expanded its AI and digital twin expertise to evolve into an AI game creation platform dubbed Auxworld.
“Users want ownership of what they consume through personalized and customizable content,” Shaghaghi said. “AI generative models are making the creation of content easier than ever, but it has yet to be utilized for the creation of video games…until now. Players can now literally turn their thoughts into video games.”
They teamed up with Oorbit to make it easier still to remove barriers for consumers. And then LG got involved.
“These experiences are seamless, without complexity, and that’s the benefit we get from Oorbit,” Shaghaghi said.
The company has funding from Mark Cuban, Tess Hau, Betaworks Ventures, and others. The company has 10 people.
As for the use of generative AI across gaming, Shaghaghi said she sees people using AI throughout the game creation process.
“A lot of people are looking at AI generating assets. But right now, a lot of efforts I see are focused on the developer side. I’m hoping to see more of this put to use on the consumer side. Where consumers are the target audience for generative AI, rather than developers.”
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