Gaming Market Maps

We will eventually publish the following Market Maps:

  1. AI x Gaming (Completed: See below)

  2. Mobile Tech Infrastructure (Will publish soon)

Note: Interviews with companies are noted next to the company name with a link to the content.


#1. AI x Gaming Market Map

Below, we introduce each category and succinct overviews of the featured companies.

Generative 2D Art

Generative AI tools helping artists rapidly create high-quality 2D art.

  • Scenario: Focused on generating game-specific art assets from simple prompts.

  • Leonardo.AI: Empowers creators to develop stylized and realistic imagery rapidly.

  • Midjourney: Popular for detailed, artistic image generation widely used in creative industries.

  • Stability.ai: Known for Stable Diffusion, open-source image generation democratizing art creation.

  • Adobe Firefly: Integrated AI tools within Adobe's suite, enhancing workflows.

  • Playground AI: User-friendly interface for quickly producing high-quality visuals.

  • OpenAI (DALL·E): OpenAI's famous model known for creative and accurate image generation from prompts.

  • x.ai (Grok): Focused on intuitive generation tailored specifically for artists.

  • Artbreeder: Known for collaborative and iterative art generation tools.

  • BRIA: Provides AI-based visual editing and enhancement capabilities.

  • Layer: Specializes in flexible AI-driven image editing and optimization.


Generative 3D Art

Pioneering 3D asset creation through innovative AI-driven solutions.

  • Luma AI: Advanced 3D reconstruction from photos or videos for easy asset creation.

  • Kaedim: Automates 3D model creation from 2D references.

  • HunYuan3D 2.0: Tencent's sophisticated model generating realistic 3D assets.

  • Promethean AI: AI-assisted environment design and world-building platform.

  • blackshark.ai: Specializes in photorealistic 3D environments leveraging satellite imagery.

  • CSM: AI-enhanced tools simplifying 3D character modeling and animation.

  • Yellow: Easy-to-use generative 3D modeling tools for quick prototyping.

  • Meshy: Automates 3D mesh optimization and generation.

  • HYPER3D: Streamlines hyper-realistic 3D asset creation.

  • Atlas AI: Advanced AI toolkit for dynamic 3D environment generation.

  • Anything World: Accessible 3D creation platform powered by voice commands and AI.


Generative Video

AI enabling creators to produce and edit video content rapidly and effectively.

  • Runway: Powerful video editing and generative content creation with AI.

  • Pika Labs: AI tools generating short-form videos and animations quickly.

  • Google DeepMind: Cutting-edge generative video AI, including realistic simulations.

  • Meta (MovieGen): A suite of advanced AI models designed to create high-quality, realistic videos and synchronized audio from simple text prompts.

  • Kuaishou (Kling AI): A cutting-edge generative video model that transforms text and images into high-quality, realistic videos up to two minutes long, featuring advanced motion simulation and multimodal editing capabilities.

  • ByteDance:

    • Jimeng AI: Chinese-language text-to-video app that creates short, realistic video clips and images from written prompts, primarily targeting casual creators in China.

    • OmniHuman-1: An AI model that generates realistic talking and moving human videos from a single photo and motion cues, using advanced diffusion-based transformer architecture.

    • Seaweed AI: A rapid video generation model capable of producing high-quality, stylized videos in under two minutes for creative and professional use.

    • Goku: A unified image-and-video generation model that uses rectified flow transformers to deliver fast, high-fidelity visual content creation.

    • Phantom: A generative video model focused on maintaining consistent subject identity across frames, ideal for personalized, coherent video synthesis.

  • Imagine.art: Innovative generative tools targeting creative storytelling through video.

  • Lumen5: AI-driven video creation designed specifically for content marketers.

  • Animaker: Simplifies animated video creation for broad accessibility.

  • Pictory: Transforms long-form content into engaging short-form video snippets.


Generative Characters & Avatars

AI-focused on highly personalized and realistic character creation.

  • Ready Player Me: Cross-platform avatar creation easily integrated into games and apps.

  • D-ID: Enhances avatars with highly realistic facial animations.

  • Genies: Allows users to express themselves through highly customized digital avatars.

  • ZMO.AI: Provides lifelike AI-driven character modeling solutions.

  • Wolf3D: Specializes in scalable avatar generation for immersive experiences.

  • Epic Games (MetaHuman): Industry-leading ultra-realistic digital humans for real-time environments.

  • Copresence: Real-time generative avatar platform enhancing digital interaction.

  • Avatar SDK: Simplified avatar generation from a single image using deep learning.


AI NPCs & Dialogue

Enriching games through advanced AI-driven character interactions.

  • Inworld AI: Enables sophisticated NPC interactions through real-time AI-driven dialogue.

  • Convai: Conversational AI optimized for immersive game environments.

  • Charisma.ai: Powers narrative-rich dialogues and branching storylines.

  • Artificial Agency: Builds intelligent NPCs with memory, goals, and adaptive behaviors to create lifelike interactions in virtual worlds.

  • Mindverse: Provides AI characters and co-pilots for games and virtual environments with a focus on customizable personalities and context-aware dialogue.

  • Character.ai: Offers a platform where users can interact with or create AI-powered characters capable of engaging, personality-driven conversations.

  • Ex-Human: AI NPCs focused on emotional intelligence and deeper player engagement.

  • NVIDIA ACE: Advanced conversational AI explicitly designed for gaming NPCs.


Code Development

AI assistance enhancing game development speed and code quality.

  • GitHub Copilot: AI pair-programmer significantly speeding up coding processes through context-aware suggestions.​chaicode.com

  • Anysphere (Cursor): Provides AI-assisted code generation, debugging, and efficient codebase navigation.​

  • Unity (Muse): Integrates AI-driven coding tools specifically tailored for Unity developers to streamline workflow.​

  • Anthropic (Claude Code): Uses advanced language models to support safe and highly effective AI-assisted coding.​Qodo+2Tabnine+2Refine+2

  • Windsurf AI: Offers an AI-powered coding assistant and the Windsurf Editor, an AI-native IDE that anticipates developer needs, fixes test failures proactively, and maintains flow. ​

  • Cline: An open-source AI coding assistant with dual Plan/Act modes, terminal execution, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for VS Code, enhancing development workflows.

  • Bezi: Builds tools for indie studios and developers, offering project-aware AI to debug projects, iterate on scenes, and execute standardizable tasks, focusing on 3D design and development. ​

  • Replit: Provides a powerful, simple platform for software development and deployment, featuring Replit Agent, an advanced AI making programming accessible to everyone. ​

  • Tabnine: An AI code assistant that accelerates and simplifies software development while keeping code private, secure, and compliant, offering context-aware code completions and suggestions. ​

  • IndieBuff: An AI-powered game development assistant designed to speed up game creation and supercharge workflows, integrating directly with game engines.

  • Qodo: A quality-first AI code generation tool designed to help developers write, test, and review code with confidence, integrating AI across development workflows.

  • Rosebud AI: Builds generative AI tools for creating stylized 2D and animated characters, enabling rapid game asset creation directly in-engine or via browser-based tools.


Generative Music & Voice

Transforming audio and voice creation through cutting-edge AI technologies.

  • ElevenLabs: Offers ultra-realistic text-to-speech and voice cloning tools, enabling creators to generate lifelike voices for various applications, including audiobooks and gaming.​

  • Altered: Provides professional-grade AI voice changer software, allowing users to modify their voices in real-time for immersive experiences.​

  • Replica Studios: Specializes in AI-generated voiceovers, offering a vast library of voices suitable for games, films, and other creative projects.​

  • Resemble AI: Delivers a comprehensive AI voice platform with capabilities like voice cloning, speech-to-speech conversion, and real-time voice modulation.​

  • WellSaid Labs: Enables the creation of high-quality AI voiceovers, supporting various dialects and production styles for professional content.​

  • Suno: An AI-powered music generator that allows users to create original songs and compositions quickly and easily.​

  • CassetteAI: Utilizes AI to generate music from text prompts, supporting artists in crafting unique musical pieces effortlessly.​

  • NVIDIA Broadcast: Enhances livestreams and voice chats with AI-powered voice and video effects, including noise removal and virtual backgrounds.​


Generative Animation

Empowering creators to generate realistic animations through intuitive AI-powered solutions.

  • Kinetix: Combines AI expertise with advanced 3D animation technologies to revolutionize character motion creation.​

  • DeepMotion: Offers AI-driven motion capture and body tracking, enabling the generation of 3D animations from videos in seconds.

  • RADiCAL: Provides markerless AI motion capture solutions, allowing real-time animation of 3D characters using just a single camera.​

  • Plask: Delivers AI-powered motion capture tools that transform simple videos into professional 3D animations.​

  • Cascadeur: A standalone 3D software that facilitates keyframe animation creation and editing, enhanced with AI-assisted tools for efficiency.​

  • Uthana: Focuses on transforming 3D character animation using generative AI, aiming to streamline the animation process.​

  • Move.ai: Provides AI-driven motion capture solutions, enabling lifelike animations through advanced spatial motion models.​


AI Testing & Insights

Leveraging AI to improve game performance, testing efficiency, and player analytics.

  • Ludo.ai: Utilizes AI to provide game developers with insights into market trends and player preferences, aiding in game design decisions.​

  • GameDriver: Offers automated testing solutions for games, ensuring quality and performance through AI-driven testing frameworks.​

  • Applitools: Employs visual AI to automate testing of game interfaces, ensuring graphical integrity across various devices.​

  • Headspin: Provides comprehensive AI-driven testing and analytics to enhance game performance across different platforms.​

  • PlaytestCloud: Delivers AI-supported user testing services, offering insights into player experiences and potential improvements.​

  • Live Aware: An AI-based analytics platform for real-time monitoring and optimization of player engagement in games.​

  • Modl.ai: Offers advanced AI tools that automate gameplay testing and generate insightful analytics for developers.​

  • Nunu.ai: Provides detailed AI-driven player behavior analytics to enhance gameplay experiences and retention.​


Multiplayer Simulation

Facilitating realistic multiplayer scenarios through robust AI-driven simulation platforms.

  • Hadean: Delivers high-performance, AI-powered platforms enabling complex and large-scale multiplayer simulations.​

  • Kythera AI: Offers intelligent middleware solutions for dynamic and believable multiplayer AI behaviors.​

  • Unity:

    • Unity Game Simulation: A cloud-based service (now largely integrated into Unity Cloud) that allows developers to run thousands of gameplay simulations in parallel.

    • Unity ML-Agents Toolkit: An open-source project that enables training of intelligent agents (including fake players or bots) using reinforcement learning and imitation learning.

  • NVIDIA ACE: Enhances multiplayer experiences through sophisticated AI-driven character interactions and simulations.​

  • RLlib: An open-source scalable reinforcement learning library built on Ray, designed to train complex agents for environments like games and simulations using distributed training and a variety of cutting-edge RL algorithms.


AI Native Game Studios

Studios pioneering AI-centric game designs and gameplay mechanics.

  • Volley: Innovates with AI-driven casual games designed for rich, interactive player experiences.

  • Series: Specializes in narrative-driven gaming experiences enhanced by sophisticated AI storytelling.

  • Jam & Tea: Focuses on creatively embedding AI-driven gameplay mechanics into immersive games.

  • Latitude: Known for creating dynamic, AI-powered adventure games with endless replayability, including the AI Dungeon series.

  • Campfire: Utilizes AI to build emergent, story-driven games with a focus on player creativity and social play.

  • Wishroll: Develops AI-driven experiences, including Status, a Twitter-like AI app on mobile that hit 500K DAU within one month of launch.

  • Pipeworks Studios: A veteran game development studio exploring AI-integrated gameplay systems and collaborating on AI R&D to enhance large-scale, systems-driven multiplayer games.

  • Hidden Door: Pioneers AI-enhanced interactive storytelling, allowing for deeply personalized narratives within shared story worlds.