Ubisoft, Nvidia Break New Ground With AI-Driven, Non-Player Character Prototypes For Enhanced Gameplay

Today at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Ubisoft Entertainment SA UBSFF pulled back the curtain on "NEO NPCs," a groundbreaking prototype showcasing the potential of generative AI (GenAI) to revolutionize player interactions with non-playable characters (NPCs) and redefine gameplay experiences.

Led by a dedicated team at Ubisoft’s Paris studio and backed by the company’s Production Technology department, NEO NPCs represent a significant leap forward in the integration of AI within gaming environments.

See Also: Google's DeepMind Reveals AI That Plays Games Just Like Humans

Describing the initiative, Virginie Mosser, narrative director on the project, emphasized the profound impact of working on NEO NPCs: "My creative work has become much deeper since I get to work on their (NEO NPCs) psychology. I have to give them a soul and do so with a certain finesse that we have never before allocated to NPC creation."

In a closed-door demonstration at GDC, Ubisoft showcased how NEO NPCs can establish connections with players through real-time, adaptive dialogue.

Players engage in conversations with these advanced NPCs via voice-to-chat, with the NPCs dynamically adjusting their responses based on the player's intentions and emotional cues. This not only enhances immersion but also offers new avenues for emergent storytelling and gameplay strategies.

Xavier Manzanares, director and producer of the project, expressed optimism about the potential of NEO NPCs to redefine player-NPC interactions: "The game world actually listens to and dynamically responds to the players. Social interactions and skills become part of the gameplay. Smarter NPCs like our NEO NPCs have the potential to become a breakthrough addition to the traditional NPCs we see in games today."

NEO NPCs' situational awareness extends beyond dialogue, enabling them to react dynamically to points of interest within the game world. This capability opens doors to diverse roles for NPCs, ranging from quest providers to training partners and AI companions.

The development of NEO NPCs has been made possible through collaboration with leading GenAI technology partners, including Nvidia Corp. NVDA and Inworld AI.

Nvidia's Vice President of Developer and Performance Technologies John Spitzer added: "AI is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance players’ experiences by making games more dynamic, immersive and unique."

Guillemette Picard, senior vice president of Production Technology at Ubisoft, underscored the transformative potential of generative AI for creators and players: "Generative AI brings unprecedented creative opportunities for our teams and players. It is when they find the value it has for them that we start to see its true potential to transform the way games are made and played."

Ubisoft is transparent about the experimental nature of its latest creation, presenting it as a prototype.

While the company hints at advancements like "real-time emotion and animation" and "contextual awareness," the demo fell short of expectations, according to Sean Hollister, senior editor and founding member of The Verge, who played three prototype demos at the GDC.

Hollister reported that although one NPC named "Bloom" benefits from a scripted backstory, interactions still suffer from lag and occasional stutters. However, the journalist said: "The most important advancement was simply that Ubisoft gave me an actual reason to talk to these chatbots, with in-game objectives."

Read Next: Survey Reveals 87% Of Game Developers Embrace Open-Source Amid AI Concerns, Layoff Fears

Photos: Courtesy of Ubisoft.