Xbox has presented its new generative artificial intelligence project, called Muse, which has the potential to transform the way classic video games are preserved. According to the company, Muse is a model capable of generating visuals of games and control actions, which opens the door to optimizing old titles to make them accessible on different devices. “Nowadays, countless classic games linked to obsolete hardware are no longer playable by most people,” Xbox stated in its announcement.
Phil Spencer, director of Xbox, highlighted that the preservation of video games is a topic of great interest for the company. Spencer suggests that Muse could learn about old games and make them portable to modern platforms without the need for the original engine to run on the original hardware. However, the community of video game historians is skeptical about Muse’s ability to achieve true preservation. Frank Cifaldi, founder of the Video Game History Foundation, compares the proposal to a simple photocopy of a work of art, expressing his concern about the meaning of “preservation”.
It’s not that easy to preserve games
In addition to skepticism, the preservation process faces significant legal challenges. Publishers fear that preserved games will be used for recreational purposes, which has led the U.S. Copyright Office to reject a major effort for video game preservation in 2024. Although the technology behind Muse is in its early stages, experts are divided on its future potential. One day Muse may be able to perfectly replicate iconic titles, but for now, its viability remains a topic of debate.
