Dragon Quest creator envisions AI characters as empathetic friends, not just helpful tools

Dragon Quest creator believes AI can make JRPG characters "feel even more human" and "listen to people's concerns with empathy," hopes to add it to "other series too"

Square Enix is working with Google on a chatbot themed around the Dragon Quest series that'll deploy as a feature in the tenth mainline installment, and the JRPG franchise's creator is optimistic about the possibilities of AI altogether. Yuji Horii, father and longtime developer of the Dragon Quest games, spoke about the technology during this year's Google Cloud Next conference. As reported by Toyo Keizai, and translated by Automaton, he said AI is "not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player." The tool in question in this case is called Oshaberi Slimey, or Chatty Slimey, and will apparently be a supportive presence to you in the MMORPG Dragon Quest 10. The notion is it'll be like a built-in guide players can use to bounce whatever's on their mind while playing. "With regular AI, people can feel embarrassed about treating it like a friend, but if it's a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics," Horii explains. "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," he continues. "I'd like to explore ways for AI characters to accompany players as supporting companions while they play, which could then expand into other series too." Being honest, this would be something I turn off as soon as I'm able, not only because of my dislike of chatbots, but because it sounds like it might be intrusive and a little creepy? Although it'll apparently wait for your prompt, will it be monitoring how I play and making suggestions? Gemini Live integration will allow for voice chat too. And last I checked, language pattern recognition wasn't capable of empathy. It almost seems like a more intricate Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and we all know the general feelings on them. "AI characters could become an entry point that teaches beginners how to play, and even after leaving the game, players might come to consider them as friends," Horii concludes. There's no release date yet, but the bot is in beta at the moment.

Dragon Quest Creator Hopes the Gemini-Powered Chatty Slimey, and All AI-Powered NPCs Can Become "A Friend to Each Player"

Hori reportedly holds this hope not just for the upcoming Chatty Slimey companion, but for all future AI-powered companions in video games, that they can be "not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player." It's a desire that, as Hori puts it, goes back to when he first created Dragon Quest. It seems like Hori views this new Generative AI (GenAI) tech as a way to complete a part of his initial vision that could not have been fulfilled when he initially developed the series, even if it's still an incomplete way of doing so. "When I first created Dragon Quest, I wanted the townspeople dialogue to sound as much like real human speech as possible," Hori explains. "Now, AI can actually respond, so I think we can make them feel even more human. However, simply replacing townspeople with AI wouldn't be much fun." That last comment, at least on some level, suggests that Hori is aware of the counter-intuitiveness involved in GenAI tech, making anything 'feel even more human.' But the real feeling it seems Hori hopes AI-powered NPCs like Chatty Slimey deliver, is one of friendship and companionship. "With regular AI, people can feel embarrassed about treating it like a friend, but if it's a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics," Hori said. "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. I'd like to explore ways for AI characters to accompany players as supporting companions while they play, which could expand into other series too." "AI characters could become an entry point that teaches beginners how to play, and even after leaving the game, players might come to consider them as friends." Of course, AI-powered NPCs are not a new thing, as we've already seen them inserted into several other games, including Fortnite with the AI-powered Darth Vader and Where Winds Meet, both of which are examples of AI-powered companions fulfilling more of a court jester role than that of a genuine friend. We've also seen examples of studios exploring having the entire narrative of their games directly impacted by AI-powered NPCs, as studios try to find what potential there is in inserting GenAI into their games. So far, it's unclear if there's any real potential beyond them being tools for players to use when they're stuck or something for players to poke at when they want a laugh. When Dragon Quest X's Chatty Slimey is fully implemented into the game, it'll be interesting to see how players react, and if Hori's hopes are on their way to being fulfilled.