--- title: "New Videogame Facial Animation Is So Realistic It’s in the Uncanny Valley" description: "With MetaHuman Animator, videogame creators can easily employ motion-capture tech to animate the facial expressions of high-quality characters." date: "2023-03-24" modified: "2023-03-24" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/videogame-facial-animation-uncanny-valley" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "epic games" - "gaming" - "the digest" - "videogames" --- # New Videogame Facial Animation Is So Realistic It’s in the Uncanny Valley ![With MetaHuman Animator, creators can easily employ motion-capture tech to relatively instantly animate the facial expressions of high-quality characters.]() *\Image: Ninja Theory via YouTube / Futurism\* ## Next Level MetaHuman Animator, the next-gen version of [Epic Games' MetaHuman avatar tool](), is here — and we gotta say, it looks pretty remarkable. Epic's MetaHuman tool, which was first unveiled back in 2021, was already impressively good at generating [hyperrealistic avatars]() of people. But actually animating those characters was still a difficult, time-consuming process. But not anymore, it seems. With this new tool, as [*The Verge* reports](), creators can easily employ motion capture tech to quickly animate the facial expressions of incredibly high-quality avatars — even if all creators have to go on is smartphone video. Yes, seriously. Per the *Verge*, Epic flaunted the new Unreal Engine-powered tech at this year's Game Developers Conference. There, the company showcased the impressive speed and fidelity of the program [in a clip]() taken from the development of the game *Senua's Saga: Hellblade II*, in which Ninja Theory performance capture artist Melina Juergens, who plays the game's titular character, is transformed from her real-life self into her animated in-game character. https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1638648468230008832 ## Acquisitions, Baby Of course, you *can* use equipment more sophisticated than a smartphone. But still, for quality and ease like this, the fact that you can use a phone if you need to is pretty astonishing — not to mention great for low-budget indie game creators, who might not have access to the same tools that big-budget studios do. According [to *Ars Technica*](), Epic VP of Digital Humans Technology Vladimir Mastilovic took to the stage for a post-demo panel later on Wednesday, explaining to conference-goers that the MetaHuman Animator is, unsurprisingly, a machine-learning tool powered by a "large, varied, highly curated database" of face-capture data. Much of that data, as *Ars Technica* points out, was likely gathered through Epic's acquisitions of motion capture and facial animation firms 3Lateral, Cubic Motion, and Hyprsense. You know what they say: if ya can't beat 'em, buy 'em! "The MetaHuman framework has been decades in the making. Companies like 3Lateral and Cubic Motion have been pushing the limits of digital human creation for years," [reads a blurb]() on the MetaHuman website. "Now, as part of Epic Games, they've been able to push the technology even further—and make it happen in real-time." "Most importantly," it continues, "they've made it accessible to everyone." If you have your eye on the animation tool, it's reportedly set to launch this summer. **READ MORE:** [*Epic's hyperrealistic MetaHumans can soon be animated using an iPhone*]() \[*The Verge*\] ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()