Quantum computing used in 'first commercial game development' — IBM simulator generated maps, characters, and graphics in C.L.A.Y. RPG

C.L.A.Y. game news from Gamescom
(Image credit: MiTale Ltd - C.L.A.Y. game news)

Game studio MiTale Ltd. is at Gamescom promoting a narrative-driven post-apocalyptic RPG dubbed C.L.A.Y. - The Last Redemption. You may well have heard the same or very similar descriptions of a new game before, but C.L.A.Y. stands out for its use of quantum computing techniques in the creation of game assets as well as for game narrative and procedural systems. MiTale worked with experts from IBM Quantum Computing and claims this is the “first commercial game on the market utilizing quantum computing in an immersive narrative experience.” Moreover, it reckons this is “the first step toward using real quantum hardware in games to accelerate complex tasks in a manner similar to a GPU,” which is rather bold.

C.L.A.Y. -The Last Redemption - Gameplay Video Gamescom - YouTube C.L.A.Y. -The Last Redemption - Gameplay Video Gamescom - YouTube
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The official game page on Steam (linked above) doesn’t mention quantum computing, but perhaps it hasn’t been updated with details from this Gamescom announcement, or kept up-to-date with the game development process. A little bit of investigation reveals that C.L.A.Y.’s development seems to have spanned at least six years so far. We’ve been emailed a fuller statement about MiTale’s exploration of quantum games, and there is some more public information about MiTale’s IBM Quantum collaborations on the game’s Gamescom 2026 press kit.

MiTale has been exploring quantum games since 2019. Its work in the games development field has included connecting quantum systems with familiar development environments, including Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot, and the Ink narrative system. However, it has a longer-term goal of integrating real quantum hardware into game development. It hopes to enhance the player-centered design this way, as well as to provide truly unique real-time adjusting experiences in every gaming session.

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Back to C.L.A.Y., this game has leveraged IBM Quantum tech to help MiTale developers generate maps, characters, and graphic simulations. It also hints that using real quantum hardware in PCs could become the new normal, one day. Discrete or integrated quantum accelerators could “accelerate complex tasks in a manner similar to a GPU.” Certainly it wouldn’t be more of a waste of silicon than the NPUs in my current AMD Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra PC systems.

Often quantum computers are pitched as a hifalutin solution “to solve problems that affect all of humanity.” But their touted strengths in complex modeling, optimization, simulation, discovery, and ability to handle vast numbers of variables could also be applied to huge next-gen gaming universes.

Gaming on quantum computers? Quandoom has already been there.

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Mark Tyson
News Editor

Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.

  • usertests
    It also hints that using real quantum hardware in PCs could become the new normal, one day. Discrete or integrated quantum accelerators could “accelerate complex tasks in a manner similar to a GPU.” Certainly it wouldn’t be more of a waste of silicon than the NPUs in my current AMD Ryzen AI and Intel Core Ultra PC systems.
    It's plausible that something like photonic quantum hardware will work at "room temperature" and make its way into PCIe cards or even SoCs.

    I would be impressed if quantum coprocessors became relevant to gaming in time to arrive in a PS7. Unless things speed up, it will miss that generation and not become relevant for ~20 years.
    Reply
  • Rand0m_Guy
    More AI, auto generated, garbage from lazy developers, but but but... you get to pick your pronouns at the start of the game and "they/them" is an option <sarcasm>.
    Reply
  • ttquantia
    Very unlikely to have quantum computers contribute anything useful to game development. This all sounds somebody producing hype to fool ignorant investors. Known applications of quantum computing are very narrow. There is for example no known useful way to solve any NP-hard optimization problems (time-tabling, scheduling and so on) faster than with conventional computers. Theoretically, yes, Grove's algorithm is asymptotically faster then conventional computers, but Grove's algorithm would be hopeless in solving any real-world scheduling problem, for example, as real-world algorithms are not running at their theoretical worst-case time, but much faster, and this is still much faster than Grove's algorithm. So what the Quantum-Computing-for-Games is going to be, exactly? I don't think anybody knows.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    ttquantia said:
    Very unlikely to have quantum computers contribute anything useful to game development
    tbh they would likely allow true RNG in games. (as its too resource demanding to use atm) Niche but would be an improvement.
    Reply
  • husker
    Good to know that the race to develop quantum computers is finally over. Sorry Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM... the game studio MiTale Ltd. beat you to it!
    Reply
  • moon2
    hotaru251 said:
    tbh they would likely allow true RNG in games. (as its too resource demanding to use atm) Niche but would be an improvement.
    You'd be hard pressed to find any game which would in any way measurably better with "true RNG".
    Reply
  • Eximo
    True randomness often causes people to see patterns that don't exist. Whereas semi-random with things like excluding the immediate previous result and preventing repeated patterns tends to make people feel like it is truly random.

    It is seen commonly in digital gambling systems, and my favorite, shuffle on music players. Truly random means the same song can play multiple times in a row. Or the same dice roll. Not the behavior people are actually looking for.
    Reply
  • hotaru251
    Eximo said:
    Or the same dice roll. Not the behavior people are actually looking for
    agreed however its "unfair" now as its designed that way.
    At least with true RNG you can't blame game for being rigged.
    Reply
  • Eximo
    hotaru251 said:
    agreed however its "unfair" now as its designed that way.
    At least with true RNG you can't blame game for being rigged.
    Favoring the house aside. People start complaining if they see the same results multiple times in a row. It makes them think the system is rigged. It is, but usually a simple bias towards the house.

    It would have less an impact on video games I would think. Loot tables might still need to be done how they are now, and things like damage rolls that are visible might be too fast for people to care about anyway.
    Reply
  • Bigshrimp
    So instead of AI slop games, we now have Quantum slop games. I wonder what will be next, Quantum AI Super Slop games? I actually chuckled pretty hard at this article.:P
    Reply