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Ubisoft has introduced Neo NPCs, the first generative AI-powered characters for players, at Game Developers Conference. These Neo NPCs possess distinct personalities and memories, facilitating dynamic conversations that influence gameplay. Equipped with advanced neural functions, these NPCs can engage players with unscripted dialogue, contextual awareness, real-time emotion, and animation. This elevates conversations into a unique form of gameplay involving information gathering and collaborative decision-making.
A team at Ubisoft’s Paris Studio spearheaded this R&D project with support from its production technology department. Unlike traditional NPCs, intricate details including personalities, backstories, agendas, and emotions needed to be programmed for these interactive Neo NPCs. This results in every conversation being tailored to respond to players’ voice inputs and previous interactions while maintaining a coherent narrative.
“My creative work has reached new depths through my involvement with Neo NPCs, as I delve into their psychology to provide them with a soul and finesse that NPC creation has never seen before,” said Virginie Mosser, narrative director on the project. “Seeing these characters come to life and engage in conversation has been a truly fulfilling and impactful experience in my career.”
How Neo NPCs Drive Emergent Gameplay
Ubisoft unveiled its Neo NPCs at a private event during GDC. The demonstration showcased how player inputs through voice-to-chat interactions can drive unique emergent gameplay experiences through conversations.
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The first part of the demo allowed players to introduce themselves to a Neo NPC, triggering emotional responses based on player intentions in real-time. This interaction can unveil new story elements and lore as players build relationships with these intelligent NPCs. As a player’s interactions are remembered by NPCs, information can impact future gameplay, such as leaving notes or generating quests on the fly.
The second part demonstrated Neo NPCs’ contextual awareness, enabling them to dynamically react with unscripted responses to in-game events. This adaptive behavior extends to quest providers, training partners, and companions, creating immersive worlds shaped by player actions.
Players in the third section were able to plan a heist with a Neo NPC, engaging in collaborative decision-making and exploring alternative strategies. These advanced NPCs offer insights and ask questions, fostering interactive gameplay experiences.
“This project marks a significant paradigm shift, offering players an interactive world that dynamically responds to their actions and fosters social interactions and skills within gameplay,” said Xavier Manzanares, director and producer of the project. “Neo NPCs have the potential to revolutionize conventional NPC design, providing a more immersive and emergent gameplay experience.”
Ubisoft Collaborates with Inworld AI and Nvidia
While Ubisoft led the Neo NPC project, it partnered with Inworld AI and Nvidia to bring these characters to life. Leveraging Inworld AI’s character engine and LLM technology, Ubisoft’s narrative team developed complete backgrounds, knowledge bases, and conversation styles for Neo NPCs. Nvidia’s Audio2Face technology powers real-time facial animations for these characters.
“AI holds the potential to enhance player experiences by making games more dynamic, immersive, and unique,” said John Spitzer, VP of developer and performance technologies at Nvidia. “We are excited to collaborate with Ubisoft on leveraging Nvidia ACE to advance digital character development.”
Together, these companies are creating tools to support Ubisoft’s narrative-driven gameplay, offering potential benefits for expansive game worlds in franchises like Assassin’s Creed, The Division, or Far Cry through conversation-driven gameplay experiences. While the technology shows promise, the project is still in development without a specific game application at present.
“Generative AI introduces unparalleled creative opportunities for our teams and players,” said Guillemette Picard, SVP of production technology at Ubisoft. “As they discover the value in this technology, we begin to realize its transformative potential in shaping the future of game development and player engagement.”
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