Krafton and the Nvidia team are developing AI smart characters for PUBG and inZOI

Nvidia and Crafton unveiled the AI ​​on the device that will support PUBG’s smart AI characters and inZoi.

The company has developed a Small Language Model (SLM) designed specifically for video games. This technology will be introduced for the first time in the PUBG franchise, which has sold more than 80 million copies, and the upcoming life simulator, inZOI.

The AI ​​language is on-device, meaning it resides on your computer and is not connected to the cloud. In games, this language version will bring unprecedented immersion in games, creating for the first time Co-Playable Characters (CPC), which supports the nature of Non-Playable Character (NPC), said Kang-Wook Lee, CEO. about Kfton’s in-depth feature, in an interview with GamesBeat at CES 2025.

In the video, Krafton showed how an NPC can help carry a player to victory in a war game. You can see in the video in this article how the NPC can dance and talk to the player, and help with the ways in which the two hope to win the chicken meal against other people. Lee thinks this new feature is the kind of thing that will help PUBG expand its audience, considering the game is eight years old.

Why Is This Important?

Krafton said CPCs can communicate organically and verbally with players and each other, opening up unprecedented experiences. This technology represents a huge leap forward in immersive gaming and redefines the role of AI in the future of entertainment.

How this comes to life especially in the PUBG Franchise and inZOI:

PUBG app: CPCs will introduce a new SLM partner that can communicate with voice and interact with players. Players can communicate and chat with their AI-driven CPC teammates just like they would with a team mates, enhancing the gameplay.

in ZOI: Players will experience simulations where they see not only their character’s life, but everyone’s lives in comparison, where citizens, known as “Zois,” interact and make decisions based on their free will and their real-life experiences. time. Zois will follow trends, spread rumors, build reputation and more, with the help of SLM.

Critically, this technology runs 100% locally on the user’s device, without the need to connect to a data center, improve data privacy, accountability, and eliminate the need for subscription fees.

Description of the inZOI game video

In inZOI, each of the 300 characters (called ‘Zois’) in the city are controlled by approximately 600 different mental points, which form the basis of the Realistic Life Simulation (RLS) game. Although rule-based systems can produce different results, they ultimately fail to properly utilize Zoi’s systems to create appropriate systems.

To address this, Krafton introduced the ‘Smart Zoi’ using on-board language, which made Zois more powerful by incorporating characteristics such as age, personality, and current situation. This allows them to not only perform limited tasks but also to change their behavior when faced with unexpected situations, such as real people.

At the end of each day, Zoi analyzes their experiences, formulates their actions for the next day and encourages continuous growth into a unique and individual person. This fascinating interplay inspires a diverse city, filled with unexpected events that create an immersive experience.

“We wanted to create something very different from NPCs. Why do we call it CPC? Because it is a character that you can build yourself. The first example is PUBG CPC,” said Lee.

In PUBG, you can play with these two, compete with other players to be the only survivor in the PUBG game.

“It is based on the whole language, the pattern of text, text and speech, all together they can think about what they need to hear,” said Lee. “There are many things you can do. For example, you can have some smart descriptions. Hey, I want to play in a different way. Each sequence is created by the language of the language. At the end of the day, you can think about how the next day will be. Planning is also done with linguistics and so on. “

Krafton has a team of about 80 people working on the development of AI label technology. It’s a little cheesy in some ways, but the character is like a character actor. Players will be able to take the technology and create their own character.

“Of course, they are not 100% natural yet, but this is the first human AI where you will hear the answers within 1.5 seconds,” said Lee.

Lee said he is optimistic about AI in games.

“I’m convinced that AI will change almost everything we’ve been doing for years,” he said. “For the sports industry and the players, I have a lot of hope. I see 2025 as the biggest year in the world of AI, and I can say that InZOI will be the most important time in the game. “

InZOI, a life simulaiton game, is launching in March. Lee said Krafton is also using AI tools to accelerate the speed of its production.

Lee previously thought that intelligent NPCs would appear in the game in 2024. But it seems that 2025 will be a big year for it.

“Some of the AI ​​models are good. Every time they make a little mistake, even if they have a one in a million chance, someone gets hurt. But for the AI ​​in the game, our models are not at risk. When the characters make mistakes, it’s funny,” Lee said. “They make silly jokes sometimes. some and they just say random things. But they are interesting.”