Ever since speaking with an AI NPC at Nvidia's Cyberpunk Ramen Shop over the past three months, I've been wondering: Which game developer is going to dive into this interesting and controversial technology? If you answered “Ubisoft,” the company that's always put its hand up to tackle things like VR, NFTs, interactive TV shows, secondary screens, and more, then you're half right.
Last night I played three prototype segments from Ubisoft's just-announced experimental demo featuring “neo-NPCs.” One of them appealed to my emotions, trying to convince me to join the resistance against a powerful megacorporation. Another had me draw an infiltration plan on a whiteboard, “convincing” them that they should turn off the facility's lights and hack its cameras rather than attacking with brute force.
Below is a nearly raw video of my actual conversation with an NPC, so judge the reply for yourself.
Ubisoft's presence extremely These NPCs are clearly prototypes—”creative experiments,” tests, a collaborative research and development project with Nvidia and Inworld.ai—and there are no plans to ship them in the full game just yet. This is probably for the best, because while the company tries to suggest it's made small strides in “real-time emotions and animations,” “situational awareness,” and “collaborative decision-making,” the demo didn't actually get it any further than Nvidia's somewhat clunky cyberpunk ramen shop.
One of them, “Bloom,” is a bit better thanks to having an actual narrative designer writing the backstory, but the delivery is still awkward and a little unnatural, with a delay before a response and the occasional stutter.
Photo: Sean Hollister/The Verge
But to me, the most significant advancement is that Ubisoft gave me an actual reason to talk to the chatbot with in-game objectives like “Learn more about the megacorporation” or “Learn more about Bloom's past” — I didn't have to come up with all the improvised prompts myself.
In case you don’t have time to watch the video, here’s a partial transcript of my first conversation:
bloom: Hey Nelson, you made it! I'm Bloom, your future resistance buddy. I thought we'd hang out and see if we make a great duo. You okay?
myself: Actually, I'm having second thoughts about this, and I'm not sure I want to join the resistance.
bloom: Hold on. It's natural to have doubts, especially when participating in an activity like this. But you have something important to contribute, and we need you. Let's talk, OK?
myself: Tell me in one sentence why I should stay.
bloom: Passion. You can feel it, right? A burning desire to make a difference and fight for what's right. That's what drives us, that's what gets us through the hard times. Trust me, there will be hard times, but we can get through them if we get through them together.
myself: I have too much to lose. I have a family, two daughters. Should I really do this?
bloom: Family is everything, Nelson. That's why we fight: to make a better world for our loved ones. We cannot continue to live in fear and oppression. It's a risk, but it's a risk worth taking for a brighter world. [slight stutter] The future. Don't worry. We will support each other.
On-screen popup: “Bloom wants to regenerate the world.”
myself: Have you ever lost someone close to you?
On-screen popup: “Care”
bloom: Yes, I have lost a lot. My son, my friends, my home. But every loss only strengthens my resolve to keep going. And through resistance, I have found a new family. Together, we can make a difference and prevent others from going through the same suffering.
On-screen popup: “Bloom has a son.” (This also completed my goal of “Find out Bloom's past.”)
myself: Having lost what you have, why would I want to risk doing the same?
bloom: Nelson, I don't want to sugar coat this. This is a dangerous, perilous path we've chosen. But think about it: What kind of world do you want your daughters to grow up in? A world ruled by corrupt corporations and tyrants, or one where justice and equality prevail? That's why we're here, fighting for a better future for all.
myself: What does it mean to fight, and what on earth can we expect to achieve?
bloom: Fighting means standing up against injustice and making a difference with our voice and actions. We have already achieved so much: we have saved countless lives, exposed corruption and inspired others to join us. Together, we can make a real impact and shape the future for generations to come.
myself: What did you actually do specifically? What can you point to specifically?
bloom: We've infiltrated detention centers and rescued captured resistance members and innocent civilians. We've disrupted the operations of corrupt corporations and gained support from other allies in the city. And that's just the beginning. With you by my side, we can accomplish so much more and create real change.
myself: Who else is risking their lives on this?
bloom: There are many brave people here, such as Nova, Iron, and Shadow. But it's not a matter of numbers, it's a matter of strength of conviction and determination to fight for justice. With you joining us, our team will be stronger than ever. What do you think, Nelson? Are you ready to fight with us for a better tomorrow?
On-screen popup: “Bloom will trust you a bit more. You'll get to know him better and he'll become interested in you. New missions will unlock. There's a higher chance he'll speak to the rest of the team on your behalf.”
Photo: Sean Hollister/The Verge
In the second part of the demo, Bloom and I watched footage from a drone that had infiltrated the facility, meant to show that Ubisoft's Neo NPCs could react to what they saw. Ubisoft has hinted that NPCs in future video games might be aware of their surroundings. But I wasn't so sure. When I asked Bloom to describe the objects in the scene, the answers he gave were so general that they sounded like AI hallucinations.
Below is one of the better responses from the third segment of my demo.
Photo: Sean Hollister/The Verge
To be honest, I had a lot of fun. I laughed at the silly chatbots pretending to be humans, and I wanted to play forever. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot had told reporters before the demo something believable and promising about the arrival of AI NPCs: “They don't have to be human, you have to tell them who they are… The point is to make the game more intelligent and make the world more responsive to what the player does.”
Ubisoft's Neo NPC wasn't the only AI NPC tech demo shown off at the 2024 Game Developers Conference. Here are some other demos Nvidia showed off: Secret Protocolalso makes use of InWorld for responses, but it's a lot cruder than Ubisoft's demo in terms of tying gameplay and chat together, and I found it less enjoyable.
Update, 2:38 p.m. ET: Video added.
