Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it has acquired the UK-based machine-learning and computer vision company Cinemersive Labs, in part to help “enhance gameplay visuals.”
The company was founded in 2022 and developed a “Cinemersive AI” technology that is capable of transforming a photo into a “volumetric 3D experience.” You can see this in action on the company’s website.
When the deal closes, Cinemersive Labs will join SIE’s Visual Computing Group. This unit is responsible for “advancing state-of-the-art visual computing within games.”
“This includes applying machine learning to enhance gameplay visuals, improve rendering techniques, and unlock new levels of visual fidelity for players,” SIE said.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. This came after Sony announced that it was shutting down Bluepoint Games, the developer of acclaimed remakes and other projects. Sony also recently closed Dark Outlaw Games, the incubation studio founded by a former Call of Duty developer.
Sony is making these moves ahead of the launch of the PlayStation 6, a console that has not been officially announced. Microsoft, for its part, already announced its next console, Project Helix.
In other PlayStation news, Sony’s new PS5 price hike just went into effect on April 2, bringing the price of the PS5 Pro up to $900 before tax.