How Ubisoft Philippines helps bring game worlds to life
Ubisoft Philippines celebrated its 10th year in the country by inviting members of the media and industry advocates to their office in Taguig for a tour of the studio on September 10.
The tour focused on introducing the office to newcomers like mysefl as well as imparting the contributions the Philippine studio made to Ubisoft’s latest blockbuster release, Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynced.
Through the tour and a subsequent interview with studio manager Sashi Menon and studio art director JP Tan, I found myself enamored with the earnest pride the Philippine team had in their work.
Redefining classic Creed with pride
Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynced is a modernized take on the 13-year-old Assassins Creed Black Flag, so its overall structure existed long before the creation of the Philippine studio. But it’s what comes from the Philippine side that makes it magical.
It’s taking the nuts and bolts of the older game and working on updating game mechanics like harpooning, improving on existing art assets like the weapons and clothing, rebuilding and reimagining the game world’s towns and forts, and ensuring the game world’s audio brings life and vibrance to the proceedings.
My attention was drawn to watching the visuals through recorded gameplay and watching other members of the media try out the game, but it was in the studio tour where I felt that sense of pride coming through.
The team members in charge of specific aspects of the game themselves were on point, delivering presentations on what their teams were in charge of.
While some were nervous, they were still eager to put their best foot forward in showing off what they had achieved.
AI in the workplace? ‘The work remains the same’
During my interview with Menon and Tan, I was curious about whether artificial intelligence (AI) plays a role now in helping to develop games, whether it’s in doing specific work or in adjusting workflow processes to help them do certain aspects at scale.
Tan said the game industry is in a kind of “figuring out stage” when it comes to using AI. He added that they were experimenting on use cases for AI but there hasn’t been anything yet that has grown into fruition.
When it comes to art, for example, Tan said, “We highly prioritize the skill of our artists, so that’s the most important thing. Being an art director, I am always on the lookout of developing the fundamental skills of each artist and their expression.”
“On the other hand,” Tan added, “it’s hard to ignore the benefits or the potential of AI-assisted workflows. Meaning any of the work, sometimes the tedious work, or the manual work that takes away from the creativity of things, that’s what we are on the lookout for.”
Menon added that AI use can and does happen but primarily as a tool to defeat busywork that eats up time. This could include helping in speeding up research by scraping the internet for needed information, but “the work remains the same” in that the human touch is needed.
Menon also said unlike some companies that use generative AI to ostensibly do everything, “we don’t see value in that.”
Keeping their feet on the ground
Tan, in closing remarks, noted that AI is “a tool meant to be understood and harnessed.” The realities of game development — and of artificial intelligence in the workplace — require human understanding.
“The future is coming fast, and it’s scary, but also at the same time, we need to keep our feet on the ground and teach the right values to our teams,” Tan said.
“Game development is essentially a problem-solving endeavor. It is essentially solving multiple constraints happening at the same time, whether it be artistic constraints. technical constraints, and production constraints. If you ask me if AI can solve all of that, not yet,” he added.
Ultimately, Ubisoft Philippines celebrating its 10th year of working in the country should be a cause for pride and celebration, as it brings triple-A games and the skills of talented Filipinos to the forefront of the games industry.
As Tan explained, “It always boils down to the person, the teamwork, their understanding of the game — what can be done for the game, what are the things that can be placed in the game and not in the game — that’s what makes it special.” – Rappler.com
