Kythera AI gives indie devs free access to games engine

Kythera AI has released its AI middleware as free open-source software (FOSS), in partnership with the Linux Foundation’s new Open3D game engine (O3DE).

Previously only available to commercial clients, Kythera AI’s toolset is now packaged with O3DE, becoming the first middleware provider to make its advanced AI solution available to any developer at any level. To ensure fairness and continuity of Kythera AI’s development, there is royalty and upfront licensing available for commercial products over a certain threshold. Indie game developers will likely not hit this threshold and if they start making a lot of money from their project, they can pay a royalty fee.

Kythera AI consists of a broad range of AI tools that have been produced with veteran developers. Tools include a behaviour tree system and solutions for navigation of the ground and sky, which aims to solve the more time-consuming challenges for developers. Independent studios, who might previously have been limited by budget and resources, will now be able to develop games with AI as complex and engaging as that in AAA titles.

“We’re big fans of Kythera AI and their toolset, including behaviour trees, navigation, and automatic level markup,” says Lloyd Tullues, CTO of Silicon-Valley-backed game studio Carbonated Inc, who, like Kythera AI, are founder members of the Open 3D Foundation. “Knowing that Kythera will be available with O3DE from the start is super exciting: developers from all over the world will now be able to leverage the same tools we’ve relied upon to create absolutely amazing experiences for their players.”

This comes as a big development in the Scottish gaming and tech sector, with a Scottish company playing a major role in an international collaboration of high-profile tech organisations. 

“We are delighted to see a case study showcased in Scotland’s AI Strategy involved directly in founding a potentially revolutionary group in the field of game design and simulation,” says Gillian Docherty OBE, Chair of the Scottish AI Alliance. “We’re proud to see a Scottish company with the growth potential of Kythera AI showing leadership in their sector on the global stage. This recent announcement of Kythera’s position as the default AI for the new Open 3D Engine will no doubt hasten the wider adoption across both gaming and other sectors.”

Matthew Jack, CEO of Kythera AI, says: “It was an exciting moment when we chose to join the O3DE Foundation as founder members and to supply the AI solution for the project. We have spent a long time developing a comprehensive toolset for game designers and AI developers to work with, and the idea of so many creatives getting access to those tools, regardless of their background, is an amazing thought. We can’t wait to see what incredible games come out of the community as a result of this access.”

For more information about the software, visit https://www.kythera.ai/