PlayStation’s AI Push Could Change How PS5 Games Are Made — And Sold

PlayStation is going very hard on AI, and this is not just some vague “future of gaming” talk.

During Sony’s recent earnings presentation, PlayStation CEO Hideaki Nishino spent a notable chunk of time explaining how AI could fit into almost every layer of the PlayStation business — from game development tools to the PlayStation Store, recommendations, subscriptions, accessories, and even merch.

His main pitch: AI can help Sony’s studios work faster, make richer games, and give players more personalised experiences. The big question, especially for players in Malaysia and SEA, is whether that means better games and smarter discovery… or just more algorithm-driven selling on an already expensive platform.

AI inside PlayStation studios

Nishino said Sony believes AI can “unleash” creativity across its studios, but the examples he gave were more practical than magical.

One tool, called Mockingbird, helps turn performance capture data into animated 3D facial models much faster. According to Nishino, work that previously took hours can now be done in a tiny fraction of that time. He stressed that Sony is not trying to replace human performers with this tool, but to speed up how captured performances are processed.

Sony teams including Naughty Dog and San Diego Studio have already used some of these tools, and Nishino also mentioned Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered as one released title connected to this AI workflow.

Another example involves hair animation — one of those things players barely think about until it looks bad. Sony’s tool can take video of real hairstyles and produce 3D models containing hundreds of hair strands. For AAA games chasing ultra-realistic visuals, that kind of automation could save serious production time.

For SEA players, this matters because PlayStation’s biggest first-party games are usually the premium stuff we wait years for: the big cinematic exclusives, the RM300-ish launch titles, the “wait for discount or buy day one?” dilemma. If AI genuinely helps studios spend less time on repetitive asset work and more time on gameplay, boss fights, worlds, and polish, that is a win.

Smarter NPCs, racing agents, and the Aloy concern

Nishino also pointed to AI racing agents in Gran Turismo and talked about NPCs with distinct personalities making game worlds feel more alive.

That sounds exciting on paper. Imagine RPGs where side characters react more naturally, or open-world games where NPCs feel less like quest vending machines. But this is also where the conversation gets messy.

Kotaku notes that Nishino may have been referring to leaked prototype footage involving a generative AI version of Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn, designed to hold unscripted conversations with the player. Ashly Burch, Aloy’s voice actor, previously expressed concern about what this could mean for game performance as an art form.

That concern is fair. Malaysian and SEA fans are very used to caring about the human side of games — voice acting, localisation, character writing, performances that become iconic. If AI becomes a support tool, okay. If it starts flattening performances into generic chatbot energy, players will notice.

PlayStation Store could get even more algorithmic

Sony’s other big AI angle is discovery.

Nishino said AI could help PlayStation recommend not only the next game you might like, but also the next gameplay moment, subscription, accessory, or merchandise connected to your interests.

That is useful if it helps players cut through the noise. The PlayStation Store already has a lot going on, and finding quality games — especially smaller titles — can be a pain. For SEA players juggling PS Plus, regional pricing, sales, and backlog guilt, better recommendations could actually help.

But there is a darker version of this too: more personalised upselling. If the store becomes too aggressive about pushing add-ons, subscriptions, and merch, players may feel less like they are being helped and more like they are being farmed.

The awkward part: AI is also making hardware pricier

The irony is that AI may be both Sony’s solution and part of the problem.

Sony recently increased the PS5 price by $100, citing economic pressure that includes AI-driven shortages affecting RAM and other PC components. During the same earnings call, Sony also said its PS5 sales forecast is limited not by lack of demand, but by its ability to source affordable parts.

That hits close to home in Malaysia, where console gaming already feels expensive once you factor in exchange rates, accessories, PS Plus, and game prices. If AI demand keeps pushing component costs up, the road to PS6 and future PlayStation hardware could get even more painful.

So yes, PlayStation’s AI push could help studios build games faster and make the platform smarter. But players should stay sharp. The best-case version gives us better worlds, better tools, and less development grind. The worst-case version gives us more shovelware, more automated storefront spam, and more expensive hardware.

AI might be the future of PlayStation, but whether that future is actually better for players? That one still needs a proper boss fight.

Source: Kotaku