Ubisoft brings new depth to gaming

'Project Teammates' uses generative AI to create characters with personality and tactical intelligence

MONTREUIL, FRANCE:

Video gamers shouting into their microphones for backup from teammates now have their calls answered by generative AI-powered players at a Paris lab, where French gaming giant Ubisoft is testing the technology for future titles.

"Pablo, Sofia, attack that enemy!" one team member in the screen-lined hall calls to computer-controlled allies as he pilots his character through a sci-fi base teeming with armed robots.

Ubisoft began working in late 2022 on integrating generative AI into games, weeks after ChatGPT stunned the world with its credible human-like text responses. The global heavyweight, responsible for hit series like 'Assassin's Creed' and 'Rainbow Six', last year showcased what it called a "Neo NPC" — non-player characters — offering dynamic conversations rather than the usual stock responses.

Its new "Teammates" project "will redefine how you interact," said project chief Xavier Manzanares. "It allows you to lead a squad of intelligent, proactive NPCs through dynamic combat scenarios where your voice is your greatest tool." More than 80 people are contributing, ranging from game developers and scriptwriters to AI experts.

The team is not developing a new game but rather a technology that "we want to provide to as many internal teams as possible," Manzanares said. That could one day allow players to hold longer conversations with contract targets ripped from history in Assassin's Creed, or with gruff troopers in Rainbow Six.

Based on Google's latest Gemini 3 large language model (LLM), "Teammates" lets users direct their two AI allies to hit switches or shoot at enemies. The AI players, depicted in-game as humanoid robots, can also hold conversations, offer strategic advice, or recount their fictional pasts.

To ensure the AI companions respond consistently, they are given a so-called "character sheet," explained Ubisoft narrative designer Anais Desfachelles – a concept familiar to fans of tabletop or computer roleplaying games.

Guidance on language style, tastes, and other traits ensures that "when the character improvises, it is still authentic," she added. "We want players to build a relationship with them. The more you get to know them, the more they open up to you."

Remi Labory, AI and data chief on the project, said the aim is to "add a new level of depth" unseen in games. The technology allows for the creation of "characters you have a special relationship with because you've gone through certain experiences together."

Ubisoft is far from alone in integrating generative AI into its creative process, as many studios see the technology as a way to aim higher, work faster, or cut costs. Bringing AI aboard is "as big a revolution for our industry as the shift to 3D," chief executive Yves Guillemot said last week.

Yet some players and developers resist the push, fearing games could become bland or derivative, and that creative jobs may be cut. Guillemot insists the group has "everything [needed] to lead" in AI, but Ubisoft is still reducing staff globally as the gaming sector struggles through a years-long downturn.

The company faced criticism this month after an AI-generated illustration appeared in its strategy game 'Anno 117: Pax Romana'. Ubisoft said the image was a placeholder for a human-crafted piece and has since replaced it.

"Teammates" narrative chief Virginie Mosser admitted she had "mixed feelings" when asked to join the project, fearing that "AI will replace me." However, she told AFP that her doubts had been dispelled. "We believe there is room for creativity," Mosser said. "We are not interested in characters without personality, without a spark of soul" from human creators behind the AI.

As generative AI spreads through the industry, "things are shifting, it's complicated," acknowledged project lead Manzanares, while hoping "Teammates" can "set an example" of how human creatives can collaborate successfully with AI.