The "One More Thing": AI Takes Center Stage

While game trailers typically dominate these events, Tencent devoted a significant portion of SPARK 2026 to the tools powering them.

MagicDawn Goes Open Source with NDGI

Tencent officially launched NDGI (Neural Dynamic Global Illumination) under its MagicDawn brand—the world’s first cross-platform neural dynamic global illumination solution, and it’s now fully open-source. Unlike static lighting methods that require tedious offline computation, NDGI leverages real-time neural network inference to instantly react to scene changes, even on mobile hardware. The launch demo showcased it running inside Roco Kingdom, with Arm collaborating to optimize deep AI inference specifically for mobile GPUs . This is the same MagicDawn technology Tencent previously teased for developers at GDC 2026 . Essentially, they’ve turned a AAA-level graphics trick into a utility any indie developer can download.

Code Craft: Build a Game by Simply Asking

Also debuting was Code Craft (代号Craft), a self-developed AI game creation platform built by the company’s ecosystem development division. It bundles a complete AIGC toolchain intended to smash the asset-production bottlenecks that slow down traditional studios. Users describe a concept in plain English—"design a space adventure RPG"—and the platform auto-generates 2D and 3D prototypes, including scenes, characters, and basic gameplay loops. Supporting multiple genres and exporting to mainstream engines like Unity, it launched with a free library of over 10,000 pre-made art assets and an open call for testers .

Digital Jingdezhen: Crafting Meets the Cloud

Rounding out the AI segment was a more serene application: Digital Jingdezhen: Porcelain Craft Adventure. Co-created with the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute and Tencent’s SSV Digital Culture Lab, this simulation management game offers players the tactile experience of historic porcelain crafting within a meticulously recreated digital city .

Cultural Crossover: The Arcane Immersive Show Lands in Shanghai

The conference’s biggest “wow” moment wasn’t a screen, but a stage. The world’s first League of Legends live interactive immersive music show is now a long-term residency in Shanghai. Overseen by Riot Games and co-produced by Tencent Video, Tencent Games, Shanghai Media Group (SMG) Live, and Wajijiwa Entertainment, the production was co-created by Punchdrunk—the British theater titan behind the legendary Sleep No More .

This isn’t your typical seated musical. For 120 minutes, audiences walk freely through 1:1 reconstructions of Piltover streets, The Last Drop bar, and the Shimmer factory. There are no fixed chairs—you choose which characters to shadow (Jinx, Vi, and others) as multi-threaded storylines literally unfold around you. Over 30 tracks from the Arcane soundtrack and League of Legends catalog are performed live, including anthems like Lonely Warrior (孤勇者) and Enemy . Currently showing through August 31, a massive 100-show summer celebration is also in the works .

The cultural push extends beyond Piltover: Delta Force announced a content partnership with the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum, bringing high-fidelity in-game recreations of treasures like a Ming dynasty porcelain duck-shaped incense burner .

The Games: Crossovers, Sequels, and New Worlds

Development Track Highlights

Sixteen titles from Tencent’s internal studios and partners filled the Development segment .

• Honor of Kings (王者荣耀): New culturally inspired skins; crossovers with China Literature Group IPs; the rollout of “Lingbao,” an AI companion powered by the proprietary Juewu AI; KPL 10th-anniversary celebrations; and the launch of the 2026 Tencent Kaiwu AI Global Open Tournament .
• Call of Duty: Mobile: Continued updates for Multiplayer, Battle Royale, and DMZ, topped off with a confirmed Persona 5 Royal collaboration arriving in July .
• Arena Breakout: Infinite: Season 5 "Mutation" introduces a supernatural theme and the new Mutated Valley map, featuring temporary abilities like invincibility, traps, and blinding .
• Inverse: Future: Collaborations with Langlang Mountain Little Monster and the Borderlands IP, plus a new Space War version .
• Valorant Mobile officially appeared in the lineup, sparking immediate speculation about a global launch timeline—though no release date was given .
• Warframe also confirmed its upcoming version, “Jade Shadows: Among the Stars” .

PC and Console Titles

Several PC and console-focused projects received airtime, including Tides of Annihilation, CONTROL Resonant, Arma Reforger, DayZ, Everwind, Cosmo Tales, and Chaos Zero Nightmare—the last of which confirmed a China launch for May 28 with exclusive early access .

Publishing and Investment Tracks

The remaining 17 Publishing and 9 Investment titles spanned a broad spectrum, including a July 2, 2026, launch date for Just Dance: Party in China, plus updates for MapleStory: Island of Legends, Valorant, Path of Exile, FC Online, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, and Under One Person .

PUBG Mobile’s Evolving AI Teammates

While a standalone “PUBG Mobile AI teammate” announcement didn’t lead the English-language press release, Tencent’s broader AI push was unmistakable. The China-specific version, Peace Elite, has already logged millions of player interactions with AI NPCs. A summer 2026 overhaul will introduce "Xiao Tian," billed as the industry’s first strategy-model-driven AI teammate, alongside a full-chain UGC AI creation assistant now live in the game’s Oasis Genesis mode . These features build on Tencent’s existing AI ally technology, which has already produced global fan-favorite characters like PUBG Mobile’s Ninja Penguin POWNIN .

The "One More Thing": AI Takes Center Stage

While game trailers typically dominate these events, Tencent devoted a significant portion of SPARK 2026 to the tools powering them.

MagicDawn Goes Open Source with NDGI

Tencent officially launched NDGI (Neural Dynamic Global Illumination) under its MagicDawn brand—the world’s first cross-platform neural dynamic global illumination solution, and it’s now fully open-source. Unlike static lighting methods that require tedious offline computation, NDGI leverages real-time neural network inference to instantly react to scene changes, even on mobile hardware. The launch demo showcased it running inside Roco Kingdom, with Arm collaborating to optimize deep AI inference specifically for mobile GPUs . This is the same MagicDawn technology Tencent previously teased for developers at GDC 2026 . Essentially, they’ve turned a AAA-level graphics trick into a utility any indie developer can download.

Code Craft: Build a Game by Simply Asking

Also debuting was Code Craft (代号Craft), a self-developed AI game creation platform built by the company’s ecosystem development division. It bundles a complete AIGC toolchain intended to smash the asset-production bottlenecks that slow down traditional studios. Users describe a concept in plain English—"design a space adventure RPG"—and the platform auto-generates 2D and 3D prototypes, including scenes, characters, and basic gameplay loops. Supporting multiple genres and exporting to mainstream engines like Unity, it launched with a free library of over 10,000 pre-made art assets and an open call for testers .

Digital Jingdezhen: Crafting Meets the Cloud

Rounding out the AI segment was a more serene application: Digital Jingdezhen: Porcelain Craft Adventure. Co-created with the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Institute and Tencent’s SSV Digital Culture Lab, this simulation management game offers players the tactile experience of historic porcelain crafting within a meticulously recreated digital city .

Cultural Crossover: The Arcane Immersive Show Lands in Shanghai

The conference’s biggest “wow” moment wasn’t a screen, but a stage. The world’s first League of Legends live interactive immersive music show is now a long-term residency in Shanghai. Overseen by Riot Games and co-produced by Tencent Video, Tencent Games, Shanghai Media Group (SMG) Live, and Wajijiwa Entertainment, the production was co-created by Punchdrunk—the British theater titan behind the legendary Sleep No More .

This isn’t your typical seated musical. For 120 minutes, audiences walk freely through 1:1 reconstructions of Piltover streets, The Last Drop bar, and the Shimmer factory. There are no fixed chairs—you choose which characters to shadow (Jinx, Vi, and others) as multi-threaded storylines literally unfold around you. Over 30 tracks from the Arcane soundtrack and League of Legends catalog are performed live, including anthems like Lonely Warrior (孤勇者) and Enemy . Currently showing through August 31, a massive 100-show summer celebration is also in the works .

The cultural push extends beyond Piltover: Delta Force announced a content partnership with the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum, bringing high-fidelity in-game recreations of treasures like a Ming dynasty porcelain duck-shaped incense burner .

The Games: Crossovers, Sequels, and New Worlds

Development Track Highlights

Sixteen titles from Tencent’s internal studios and partners filled the Development segment .

• Honor of Kings (王者荣耀): New culturally inspired skins; crossovers with China Literature Group IPs; the rollout of “Lingbao,” an AI companion powered by the proprietary Juewu AI; KPL 10th-anniversary celebrations; and the launch of the 2026 Tencent Kaiwu AI Global Open Tournament .
• Call of Duty: Mobile: Continued updates for Multiplayer, Battle Royale, and DMZ, topped off with a confirmed Persona 5 Royal collaboration arriving in July .
• Arena Breakout: Infinite: Season 5 "Mutation" introduces a supernatural theme and the new Mutated Valley map, featuring temporary abilities like invincibility, traps, and blinding .
• Inverse: Future: Collaborations with Langlang Mountain Little Monster and the Borderlands IP, plus a new Space War version .
• Valorant Mobile officially appeared in the lineup, sparking immediate speculation about a global launch timeline—though no release date was given .
• Warframe also confirmed its upcoming version, “Jade Shadows: Among the Stars” .

PC and Console Titles

Several PC and console-focused projects received airtime, including Tides of Annihilation, CONTROL Resonant, Arma Reforger, DayZ, Everwind, Cosmo Tales, and Chaos Zero Nightmare—the last of which confirmed a China launch for May 28 with exclusive early access .

Publishing and Investment Tracks

The remaining 17 Publishing and 9 Investment titles spanned a broad spectrum, including a July 2, 2026, launch date for Just Dance: Party in China, plus updates for MapleStory: Island of Legends, Valorant, Path of Exile, FC Online, Dungeon & Fighter Mobile, and Under One Person .

PUBG Mobile’s Evolving AI Teammates

While a standalone “PUBG Mobile AI teammate” announcement didn’t lead the English-language press release, Tencent’s broader AI push was unmistakable. The China-specific version, Peace Elite, has already logged millions of player interactions with AI NPCs. A summer 2026 overhaul will introduce "Xiao Tian," billed as the industry’s first strategy-model-driven AI teammate, alongside a full-chain UGC AI creation assistant now live in the game’s Oasis Genesis mode . These features build on Tencent’s existing AI ally technology, which has already produced global fan-favorite characters like PUBG Mobile’s Ninja Penguin POWNIN .