Bandai Namco Entertainment

Bandai Namco Entertainment announced an investment in DeepMotion, an AI motion generation company, in March 2023 through its startup investment fund, with the stated aim of incorporating AI-based motion generation technology into its entertainment products and IP Metaverse.

The investment was made through the Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 Fund, a fund targeting early- to mid-stage entertainment technology startups globally. DeepMotion specializes in converting video into 3D character animation using AI and physics simulation. Bandai Namco's investment leadership stated the technology could help fans generate user content connected to Bandai Namco's intellectual properties and create more natural character movement in games and virtual environments. No source confirms specific games or products that have already integrated DeepMotion technology.

Bandai Namco Entertainment deployed the Play BY Live system starting June 2022, using deep learning AI to power virtual characters called Streamroids that played games and interacted with live stream audiences on the YouTube channel Go Round Game without a human performer. The live-streaming experiment ran through March 2024, when Bandai Namco declared it complete; the channel then shifted to short AI-generated videos.

Play BY Live consisted of three integrated AI components: a decision-making AI that played the game and adapted strategy based on viewer comments; a group-conversation AI that processed audience chat and selected comments to address on stream; and a voice synthesis AI that generated emotionally expressive speech. The Go Round Game channel opened for testing in June 2022 and moved to full operation in fall 2022. The live mahjong-streaming experiment was declared complete in March 2024, after which the channel shifted to short videos using AI-generated scripts. The same Play BY Live technology was also applied to an AI character named Mellow Niege in Bandai Namco's Gundam Metaverse platform.