Cygames establishes an AI company! Developing proprietary game and animation AI models, currently recruiting AI vocalists

《Uma Musume: Pretty Derby》 developer Cygames has established an AI subsidiary, Cygames AI Studio, to develop game- and animation-specific small AI models, actively recruiting chant singers and engineers. In fact, Cygames’ parent company has long been actively adopting generative AI for content.

Uma Musume developer Cygames establishes AI subsidiary, focusing on small models

Famous for 《Uma Musume: Pretty Derby》, Japanese game giant Cygames recently announced the formation of the subsidiary “Cygames AI Studio.” The company’s goal is to develop AI and provide tools to create a cyclical system that expands creators’ creativity, rather than just using tools to improve work efficiency. They will base this on the experience accumulated by their development team, aiming to develop AI technology that creators can use with confidence.

In terms of technical strategy, Cygames AI Studio is developing small-scale language models (SLM) and latent diffusion models (LDM) for entertainment purposes such as games and animation.

Image source: X Uma Musume developer Cygames establishes AI subsidiary, focusing on small models

Due to large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Gemini absorbing a vast amount of works, raising copyright and intellectual property disputes, the author speculates that Cygames is developing its own AI models perhaps to avoid related controversies.

Besides 《Uma Musume》 mobile game and related animations, Cygames also owns IPs such as 《Saga Idol is Legend》, developed in collaboration with MAPPA, and original TV animations like 《Post-Apocalyptic Hotel》.

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Cygames AI recruits AI chant singers and AI engineers

Meanwhile, Cygames AI Studio has also announced job openings, currently recruiting AI image generation experts (aks AI chant singers), reinforcement learning engineers, language model engineers, and more.

Job descriptions indicate that AI engineers need to use internal data for model training and fine-tuning to ensure the generated content meets quality, rights, and safety standards in the entertainment field.

Especially in image generation, Cygames AI Studio seeks talent capable of improving models to adapt to low latency and various device environments, indicating plans to deeply integrate self-developed AI into game production.

Image source: Cygames AI company recruitment page Cygames AI company recruiting AI chant singers and AI engineers

Cygames’ parent company actively adopts AI, launches AI Japanese dramas

Not only is Cygames actively deploying AI, but its parent company CyberAgent has long expanded the application of generative AI in film and entertainment.

According to 《ITMedia》, Japanese TV stations and CyberAgent aired the AI-assisted produced TV drama 《TOKYO Miko Ninja》 in early January this year, though main roles are still played by real actors and models.

The AI Japanese drama 《TOKYO Miko Ninja》 was created by CyberAgent’s “Goku AI Daiba Studio,” in collaboration with the visual production company AOI Pro, which also participated in the production of the 《8th Exit》 movie. VFX effects were handled by TREE Digital Studio.

Image source: TOKYO Miko Ninja press release CyberAgent’s parent company actively adopting AI, launching AI Japanese drama 《TOKYO Miko Ninja》

Japanese gaming giants expand AI applications, from art creation to community management

The Japanese gaming industry’s attitude toward generative AI is shifting from observation to active adoption. At CEDEC 2025 developer conference, several major companies showcased AI application examples.

Capcom revealed that during the development of 《Monster Hunter: Wilderness》, they integrated models like Google Gemini and Imagen 2 to generate ideas for in-game posters, stickers, and other art assets, speeding up concept design processes.

SEGA has established an internal AI environment, using local AI to filter inappropriate player comments in online games, improving community management efficiency. Cygames has also used AI to analyze player social media posting trends.

Although some generative AI applications still face copyright concerns, as Masahiro Sakurai, producer of 《Kirby》, stated, game development has entered a stage where AI must be utilized to change workflows. Balancing efficiency improvements with maintaining high-quality experiences will be a core challenge for future game companies.

Related reports:
Generative AI enters gaming! Capcom uses it to brainstorm Monster Hunter: Wilderness art, SEGA and Cygames are also using it