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The Batman Ninja Collaboration Project Promises to Transcend Anime

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When I walked into the Batman Ninja panel, I expected an anime where Bruce Wayne (or his equivalent) was born in feudal Japan and trained to become a bat-themed ninja because his parents were killed by a vaguely Joker-like Oda Nobunaga. However, what I saw in the panel was very different. I think I prefer what I witnessed to what I originally pictured.

So, what is Batman Ninja? Basically, it’s an anime that “transcends anime,” made as a collaboration between Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Japan. Longtime anime fans will recognize many of the names attached to this project, including screenwriter Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann and Kill la Kill), character designer Takashi Okazaki (Afro Samurai), and director Jumpei Mizusaki (Dragon Quest, JoJo;s Bizarre Adventure). While the idea of a Batman anime has apparently been tossed around for a while in Japan, nobody ever tried to make a feature length show or movie(the anthology Batman: Gotham Knight notwithstanding). But then Warner Bros. approached Nakashima and Okazaki and asked, “Hey, wanna make an anime where Batman is a ninja?” And thus Batman Ninja was born.

So, if Batman Ninja isn’t about a Japanese version of Bruce Wayne becoming a ninja, what is it about?  To put it simply, Batman, his allies (Robin, Red Hood, Nighwing), and his enemies (Penguin, The Joker, Two-Face, Harley Quin, Gorilla Grodd) time travel to feudal Japan and bring all their technology with them. That might sound like a  weird story that has no place in the DC Universe, but The Flash has his own time machine that’s basically a track machine powered by him running really fast, and plenty of characters have a myriad of ways to travel to alternate realities and fight their evil doppelgangers. In other words, time traveling to Japan is actually more than plausible for Batman and company. Plus, this plot lets the creators keep the characters as faithful to the source material as possible. Especially Gorilla Grodd; apparently he’s the favorite among Batman Ninja‘s creators, probably because Grodd was reportedly difficult to animate, but they also really like their version of the Joker as well.

Even though the showrunners behind Batman Ninja are known for anime, they claim the movie isn’t an anime but a means to show Batman through the eyes of Japanese filmmakers. A good example of this is how the fights were choreographed in the movie. Instead of characters just being drawn, actors were hired to fight while being filmed, and their actions were translated into animation, not unlike rotoscoping but much cooler.

Batman Ninja will release in 2018 with both English and Japanese voice overs. While I got a good listen to the Japanese voices, I look forward to watching the movie in English, especially since the filmmakers claim the person they got to voice the Joker is the best one to date. A bold claim, but one I look forward to seeing proven right.

All you have to do to get my attention is talk about video games, technology, anime, and/or Dungeons & Dragons - also people in spandex fighting rubber suited monsters.

Artificial Intelligence

Gaming models are created by Auctoria using generative AI

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Aleksander Caban, co-founder of Polish VR game developer Carbon Studio, noticed a major problem in modern game design several years ago. He manually created rocks, hills, paths, and other video game environment elements, which was time-consuming and laborious.

Caban created tech to automate the process.

In collaboration with Michal Bugała, Joanna Zając, Karolina Koszuta, and Błażej Szaflik, he founded Auctoria, an AI-powered platform for creating 3D game assets. Auctoria, from Gliwice, Poland, is in Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt 2023.

Auctoria was founded on a passion for limitless creativity, according to Zając in an email interview. It was designed to help game developers, but anyone can use it. Few advanced tools exist for professionals; most are for hobbyists and amateurs. We want to change that.”

Using generative AI, Auctoria creates various video game models. One feature generates basic 3D game levels with pathways, while another converts uploaded images and textures of walls, floors, and columns into 3D versions.

Like DALL-E 2 and Midjourney, Auctoria can generate assets from text prompts. Or they can submit a sketch, which the platform will try to turn into a digital model.

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All AI algorithms and training data for Auctoria were developed in-house, according to Zając.

She said “Auctoria is based 100% on our content, so we’re not dependent on any other provider.” It’s independent—Auctoria doesn’t use open source or external engines.

In the emerging market for AI game asset generation tools, Auctoria isn’t alone. The 3DFY, Scenario, Kaedim, Mirage, and Hypothetic startups create 3D models. Even Nvidia and Autodesk are entering the space with apps like Get3D, which converts images to 3D models, and ClipForge, which generates models from text descriptions.

Meta also tried tech to create 3D assets from prompts. In December, OpenAI released Point-E, an AI that synthesizes 3D models for 3D printing, game design, and animation.

Given the size of the opportunity, the race to market new solutions isn’t surprising. According to Proficient Market Insights, 3D models could be worth $3.57 billion by 2028.

According to Zając, Auctoria’s two-year R&D cycle has led to a more robust and comprehensive toolset than rivals.

“Currently, AI-based software is lacking for creating complete 3D world models,” Zając stated. “3D editors and plugins offer only a fraction of Auctoria’s capabilities. Our team started developing the tool two years ago, giving us a ready-to-use product.”

Auctoria, like all generative AI startups, must deal with AI-generated media legal issues. Not yet clear how AI-generated works can be copyrighted in the U.S.

However, the Auctoria team of seven employees and five co-founders is delaying answering those questions. Instead, they’re piloting the tooling with game development studios like Caban’s Carbon Studio.

Before releasing Auctoria in the coming months, the company hopes to raise $5 million to “speed up the process” of creating back-end cloud services to scale the platform.

Zając stated that the funding would reduce the computing time required for creating worlds or 3D models with Auctoria. Achieving a software-as-a-service model requires both infrastructure and user experience enhancements, such as a simple UI, excellent customer service, and effective marketing. We’ll keep our core team small, but we’ll hire more by year’s end.”

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Syphon Filter on PlayStation Plus Premium: Dark Mirror and Ape Academy 2 Have Awards

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Even though trophy support for older games on PS Plus Premium isn’t always great, you can always count on Sony’s first-party games to have it.If you like collecting these digital trinkets, you’re in luck, because today’s big PlayStation Plus update includes two classic games that can now be used to earn Trophies.

Each trophy list for Ape Academy 2 and Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror includes the platinum cherry on top. You can look at their respective listings here and here if you’re interested.

The list for Dark Mirror appears to be quite simple—you can basically earn them all by finishing the game. The trophies in Ape Academy 2 appear to be a little more complicated, requiring you to complete particular objectives in card battles and advance to specified rankings. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem too difficult, so we’re looking at a couple of quite simple platinums.

Ridge Racer: Type 4 is this month’s other premium classic game; sadly, it does not offer trophies. But it makes up for it by being a complete banger.

However, will you be obtaining some of these trophies with a nostalgic flavor?

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Beautiful New Book Teaches About the Art of Horizon Forbidden West

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This year, Sony produced some truly outstanding work, releasing four high-profile games on the PS5 and PS4 (not to mention the numerous PC ports). The earliest of these, Horizon Forbidden West, arrived in February of 2022 and got the year off to a strong start. One of Aloy’s sophomore journey’s greatest strengths, among the many other things we like about it, is its excellent art direction. The Art of Horizon Forbidden West allows you to now delve deeply into the game’s visuals.

This coffee table book, which was published by Dark Horse Books, contains 200 pages of concept art and developer commentary. It provides an inside look at the process used to develop engaging characters and settings, and Forbidden West is certainly not lacking in either.

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There will be two editions of the book: standard and deluxe. Both are hardback books, with the deluxe edition having pages with metallic edges and a unique slipcase. These are now up for pre-order and will go on sale on April 25, 2023.

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