Game Details and Interactions
While Ubisoft describes "Teammates" as a "playable experimental research project", the game still maintains typical concepts of a first-person shooter. Players act as "members of the resistance in a dystopian future" and must infiltrate an enemy base to locate five missing team members.
Three NPCs were designed for this game: "Jaspar", an assistant who has knowledge of the game's lore and adapts in real-time; "Pablo" and "Sofia", robotic characters that respond to commands given by players.
Innovative Features and Gameplay
The NPCs in "Teammates" not only respond to voice commands but also have visual awareness of the scenario. For instance, a command to "stay behind a barrel" leads "Sofia" to position herself considering the player's perspective. During the closed playtest, "Jaspar" was also utilized to teach players about the basic mechanics of the game.
Ubisoft is allowing players to select personalities for "Sofia" and "Pablo", including variations that affect how each character interacts, an approach that stands out in the gaming experience.
Future Perspectives and Ongoing Development
According to Ubisoft's Director of Data and AI, Rémi Labory, this technology creates personalized and interactive experiences. "The player input shapes the characters' responses in real-time, something that traditional development cannot achieve. We are creating a complete flow of experiences, from onboarding to debriefing," Labory stated.
In addition to "Teammates", Ubisoft has already used generative AI in other areas of its development process. One such application is the "Ghostwriter" tool, which generates initial dialogue for games.
The technology that powers "Teammates" can be integrated into future Ubisoft projects as the middleware created for the game is compatible with its Snowdrop and Anvil engines.
With the feedback collected during testing, the company plans to implement improvements and innovations in future generations of games.