Microsoft says it could use AI to revive classic Xbox games

Xbox is looking to utilize its just announced generative AI model for the preservation of classic video games, it’s said.

On Wednesday, Microsoft’s gaming division announced Muse, a generative AI model that it says can generate “game visuals, controller actions, or both.”

The company’s main demonstration of Muse showed how it could generate video game visuals using training data from Ninja Theory’s 2020 game Bleeding Edge. However, it also discussed how Muse could help preserve classic games in the future.

“Today, countless classic games tied to aging hardware are no longer playable by most people,” said gaming AI corporate VP, Fatima Kardar. “Thanks to this breakthrough, we are exploring the potential for Muse to take older back catalog games from our studios and optimize them for any device.

“We believe this could radically change how we preserve and experience classic games in the future and make them accessible to more players. To imagine that beloved games lost to time and hardware advancement could one day be played on any screen with Xbox is an exciting possibility for us.”

In a video published alongside the news, Microsoft’s gaming boss Phil Spencer also expressed optimism for Muse’s future benefit for preservation.

“You could imagine a world where, from gameplay data and video, a model could learn games and really make them portable to any platform run. I think that’s really exciting,” he said.

“We’ve talked about game preservation as an activity for us and these models and their ability to learn completely how a game plays, without the necessity of the original engine running on the original hardware, I think opens up a ton of opportunity.”

According to a leaked company memo, Xbox established a new team last year dedicated to game preservation and backward compatibility for its future hardware.

Xbox president Sarah Bond wrote: “We have formed a new team dedicated to game preservation, important to all of us at Xbox and the industry itself.

“We are building on our strong history of delivering backwards compatibility to our players, and we remain committed to bringing forward the amazing library of Xbox games for future generations of players to enjoy.”