User-generated content platform Yahaha drew over 2,700 participants to its booth at GDC, mainly to try out their code-free design engine, resulting in the creation of more than 800 games.
Yahaha demonstrated their Text2Game AIGC Co-Pilot tool - YAI - in a demo at GDC 2023. The tool promises to streamline the creation process, generating locales, environments and worlds with only text prompts. It promises to lower the barrier for entry to game developers and reduce the overall cost of game creation. Reception seemed positive, if the number of participants and games created with a demo of the tool are any indication.
One particularly positive comment came from vice-president of AGI, Adam Ardisasmita, who said, "[The] low code game development engine by Yahaha is effortless to use and powerful. It will be a very useful tool to bridge more players into game developers. Especially in Indonesia, Yahaha can be a platform to create more talent in the game industry, which is why we’re excited to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Yahaha to collaborate further with their community, creator programs, and educational outreach."
Competing with Unity?
Yahaha are not the only company to bring text prompts to game development. As Unity recently teased their new AI text-to-code tool. Although the utility of AI tools is yet to be fully realised, and debate still rages on, the most interesting situation to resolve might be just how well the various tools compete with one another. One may become dominant, or it may be a new ground for competition amongst various companies striving for dominance.
COO at Yahaha Studios, Pengfei Zhang commented on the reception, which seems to indicate many users are already highly positive towards Yahaha’s tools. “It’s been a pleasure to see so many people learning about and creating with Yahaha at this year’s GDC. There’s been a real buzz around Yahaha, and knowing that nearly 800 games were created at our booth is amazing. With the reveal of our new Text2Game generative AI tool, and following the release of Asset Ovi earlier this year, 2023 is set to be a year of launching even more powerful new features to enable game developers to realise their creative visions in Yahaha.”
Earlier this month, Yahaha Studios’ Global Game Jammers created 80 games in just 48 hours.
