Microsoft is flexing its AI muscles in a surprising place: the gritty corridors of Quake II.
In a new browser-based tech demo, the company has recreated a playable level of the classic shooter using its Muse AI model. It’s not a full remaster, but it’s enough to walk, jump, shoot, and crouch your way through a limited stretch of nostalgia—all powered by artificial intelligence.
This experiment is part of Microsoft’s broader Copilot for Gaming initiative and showcases what happens when you let an AI model generate a game environment in real time. The result? A small slice of Quake II that you can play directly in your browser.
“We’ve talked about game preservation as an activity for us, and these models and their ability to learn completely how a game plays without the necessity of the original engine running on the original hardware opens up a ton of opportunity.”
- Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming CEO
Promising, but don’t expect perfection
In a blog post, Microsoft admitted that the AI still has trouble with object permanence. Leave something out of sight for more than 0.9 seconds, and it might just vanish. Players may notice elements pop in and out of existence depending on where they’re looking. Apparently, that's just ‘part of the experiment.’
Not a Game, But a Glimpse
The project isn’t meant to be a new Quake game—it’s more of a research demo to test Copilot Muse’s capabilities. According to Microsoft, this is one of the first times players can actually "play inside the model," interacting with an environment generated in real time by an AI system.
It’s a clunky experience, sure, but it hints at how AI could shape the future of game development, modding, and even game preservation. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, has talked up the idea of using AI to bring old games to life again, and Muse might be the engine to make that happen.
While the demo’s short and far from perfect, it opens the door to some pretty wild possibilities. If this is what AI can do now, just imagine what’s next.
