Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii introduces AI Slime chatbot companion

Dragon Quest X adds AI Slime companion powered by Gemini for real-time conversations and gameplay support

Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has shared new details about an AI-powered Slime companion designed for Dragon Quest X, saying he hopes players will eventually speak to the character about personal concerns as well as gameplay.

The iconic Slime mascot has represented the Dragon Quest franchise since 1986. Earlier this year, Square Enix and Google announced plans to turn the character into an AI chatbot companion for the Japan-exclusive MMO Dragon Quest X using Google’s Gemini technology.

Speaking at Google Cloud Next 2026 in Las Vegas, Horii explained the thinking behind the project and why he believes players may feel more comfortable opening up to a game character than a standard AI assistant.

“When I first created Dragon Quest, I wanted the townspeople dialogue to sound as much like real human speech as possible,” Horii said. “Now, AI can actually respond, so I think we can make them feel even more human.”

Horii said he was not interested in simply replacing non-playable characters with AI, describing that idea as “unfun”. Instead, he believes a companion character offers a more natural experience for players.

“With regular AI, people can feel embarrassed about treating it like a friend,” he said, “but if it’s a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics.”

The AI companion, known as Chatty Slimey, reacts to player actions in real time, including outfit changes, defeating enemies and discovering rare items. The feature also uses Gemini Live for voice conversations.

Horii added, “I think it’s wonderful that Slimey can also listen to people’s concerns with empathy and even talk about things unrelated to the game itself.”

A trial phase launched in late April ahead of Dragon Quest X Online Version 8.0, which is scheduled for release in Japan on June 25. A full release date for the AI feature has not yet been announced.