Ubisoft is doubling down on generative AI, integrating it across all its studios and offices. CEO Yves Guillemot says the company’s new AI companion initiative, Teammates, exemplifies the direction Ubisoft wants to take in the coming years.
Teammates is the next evolution of Project Neo NPC, first showcased last year as a hybrid NPC chatbot. The initiative aims to create in-game characters that are more dynamic and responsive, capable of acting in diverse ways within defined boundaries. Ubisoft says the project explores how generative AI-driven gameplay can lead to a new generation of more interactive and engaging games.
These AI companions can adapt to players’ strategies, moods, and even personal slang, responding to real-time voice commands while revealing distinct personalities. Among them is Jaspar, a personal assistant designed to support players throughout their missions. Jaspar can recognize the player, highlight threats, suggest next steps, and act as a tactical guide, similar to Jarvis from modern Iron Man films but in a gaming context.
Other companions, Pablo and Sofia, inhabit the game world physically and can also be commanded or interacted with directly. Screenshots from internal prototypes show prompts like “Hold [Right Bumper] Speak to Team,” allowing seamless communication with these AI characters.
Project narrative director Virginie Mosser explains that Teammates is designed to balance AI improvisation with human creativity, giving NPCs the freedom to react dynamically while staying true to their personalities and the game’s lore:
“At first, I had the same concerns as many others. But I discovered it’s the exact opposite of removing the human from the process. We still write the story and character personalities, but instead of fixed lines, we create boundaries that let NPCs improvise while staying within the rules we’ve set.”
Guillemot adds that AI is a tool to empower creativity, not replace it:
“We are making exciting progress in building the tools of tomorrow for our teams. Creativity remains deeply human. AI provides tools that help bring creative visions to life in new ways. It can be a powerful enabler to create even more meaningful and immersive experiences for players.”
Ubisoft’s Teammates initiative represents a major step toward AI-driven, player-focused gameplay, where in-game characters respond organically to players’ actions, enhancing immersion and interactivity.
