You might be as surprised as I was to learn that Assassin's Creed Mirage is one of the few games to use AI neural texture compression—the only one, I think
PC Gamer
by Nick Evanson February 26, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
Assassin's Creed Mirage has emerged as one of the few games to utilize neural texture compression powered by AI, marking a significant advancement in gaming technology. This technique replaces multiple high-resolution textures with a single lower-resolution map and a small neural network, reconstructing material properties like reflectivity and surface roughness on-the-fly during rendering. This approach drastically reduces VRAM and storage usage, with Ubisoft reporting memory savings of up to 30% in the game. While AI-powered solutions often come at a computational cost, Mirage's implementation selectively targets assets with high instance counts—such as trees, furniture, and buildings—to maximize efficiency without sacrificing visual quality.
The use of neural texture compression addresses critical challenges in modern gaming, particularly the growing demand for more detailed and expansive environments. By reducing memory pressure, this technology allows developers to create larger, denser worlds while maintaining performance. Although Ubisoft initially demoed this tech at GDC 2024 as an internal project, its inclusion in Mirage represents a significant leap forward in real-world application. The potential implications for the gaming industry are vast, with other developers likely exploring similar solutions to optimize their own games.
This innovation aligns with the broader trend of AI adoption in gaming, moving beyond mere upscaling or frame generation to tackle core technical challenges. For players, this means better performance and more immersive experiences, especially on hardware where resources are constrained. As the demand for high-quality visuals continues to rise, neural texture compression offers a promising solution to balance detail and efficiency, paving the way for future advancements in game design and development.
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Originally published on PC Gamer on 2/26/2026