Unity on Managing Perceptions and Cloudless Generative AI

Recently, Unity released its 2023 Gaming Report, which provides an overview of various industry trends based on data from the company's engine and Unity Gaming Services. One significant aspect of the report is the current state of the economy, which has had a substantial impact on Unity, leading to layoffs earlier in the year. However, according to Unity Create Senior Vice President and General Manager Marc Whitten, the report also highlights some encouraging trends, such as the increase in the number of game players and the growth of games being shipped on various devices. Whitten notes that despite economic challenges, the gaming industry has shown remarkable resilience. The Create side of Unity's business has faced perceptions that it has been neglected in favor of the Grow division, which focuses on engagement, monetization, and user acquisition. Whitten acknowledges that the company may not have done a good job of messaging its efforts, but emphasizes that the Create business has been focused on features to help developers create games, including getting its DOTS production-ready and making progress on the URP. Unity is also working to provide more tools for developers to manage their live games, understand player behavior, and drive value from their players. Whitten points to Marvel Snap as an example of a game that required Unity to work with developers to manage content delivery, highlighting the blurred lines between game creation and monetization. When it comes to emerging trends like virtual reality and blockchain, Whitten says that Unity's approach is driven by what creators tell them, and the company is committed to supporting developers in various ways, whether through investing in new technologies or providing tools and services. Regarding generative AI, Whitten believes it will be a significant area of change and is focused on ensuring the ethical use of these tools. Unity is working on Project Barracuda, a neural network inference library that enables runtime use of generative AI models on local devices, which Whitten sees as critical for changing how games are developed and played. Finally, Whitten is enthusiastic about the trend of user-generated content-driven platforms, which he believes will lead to more creators and a better world, and emphasizes Unity's commitment to supporting developers in being successful across various platforms.