London-based Latent Technology, a gaming company specialising in AI-driven physical animation, has raised $8 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by AlbionVC and Spark Capital, with additional backing from Root Ventures and Alumni Ventures.
Latent's central proposition is to replace pre-scripted animations with generative physics-based systems that enable characters and environments to respond in real time to gameplay, allowing for highly personalised gaming experiences.
“AI gives us the opportunity to transform not only how developers create games, but also how players experience them,” said Jorge del Val, co-founder and CEO of Latent Technology. “While many companies are using AI to optimise existing workflows, we’re focused on enabling something fundamentally new: emergent, interactive animation that reacts in real time.”
Latent’s approach aims to eliminate the need for manually crafted animations. Its core technology is powered by Phoenix, a proprietary generative physics animation model that allows for emergent movement and behaviour, dramatically increasing realism and interactivity without exponential workload.
The latest funding will fuel the development of the company’s Latent Behaviour Engine, which allows developers to define and deploy behaviours based on physics-driven generative AI. The company is currently testing its tech in a closed beta with select studios, with plans to release two tech demos later this year.
“Our technology allows us to prototype rapidly while delivering experiences that were not possible before,” added del Val. “We aim to stay close to the development workflow by shipping real, playable demos that showcase our technology in action.”
These technologies form the groundwork for what could be a new infrastructure layer in game development, akin to how large language models (LLMs) have reshaped content creation across industries.
“Latent’s technology positions it to become core infrastructure for the future of game development—powering next-gen interactive experiences through real-time, generative animation,” said Sebastian Hunte, Investor at AlbionVC.
“Just as LLMs have revolutionised content creation, Latent is laying the foundation for a similar leap in animation. With strong early traction and a deeply technical team, we’re thrilled to support their journey.”
As AI rapidly permeates the creative industries, the gaming sector has become a key testing ground for real-time generative content. Giants like Unity, Epic Games, and Nvidia are increasingly investing in AI-native workflows, while smaller studios are seeking ways to reduce production costs and increase realism without scaling teams linearly.
Would you like to write the first comment?
Login to post comments