Muse, Xbox's new AI, can bring back old games from the dead

Microsoft has been pushing for AI across its departments. And on Xbox, it’s launching Muse, a new generative AI model that can create gameplay environments based on visuals or player actions.

The Redmond tech giant announced that Muse is a generative AI model that can “create consistent and diverse gameplay rendered by AI,” according to Fatima Kardar, corporate vice president of gaming AI at Microsoft.

The AI was trained using gameplay data from Bleeding Edge, allowing it to understand 3D game worlds and react to player movements. Microsoft says Muse could help developers speed up game creation, assist in prototyping, and even help bring classic games to modern platforms.

One major goal is game preservation. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer suggested that AI models like Muse could learn old games and make them playable on any platform, even without their original engines. This could open new possibilities for keeping classic titles alive.

While Muse is still in early development, Microsoft is testing a real-time version that can generate game visuals dynamically. But, this prototype runs at just 10fps and 300×180 resolution. “We believe generative AI has the potential to enhance this creativity and unlock new possibilities,” Kardar added.

Some AI-powered game experiences will soon be available in Copilot Labs for players to try out. Microsoft is also giving game studios control over how they use AI in their projects.