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Ubisoft Shows Off New AI-Powered FPS And Hopes You've Forgotten About Its Failed NFTs (kotaku.com)

(Monday November 24, 2025 @11:41AM (msmash) from the chasing-trends dept.)


Ubisoft has revealed Teammates, a first-person shooter built around AI-powered squadmates that the company is calling its " [1]first playable generative AI research project " -- not long after the publisher went all-in on NFTs and the metaverse only to largely move on from both. Built in the Snowdrop Engine that powers The Division 2 and Star Wars Outlaws, the game features an AI assistant named Jaspar and two AI squadmates called Pablo and Sofia. Players can issue natural voice commands to direct the squadmates in combat or puzzle-solving, while Jaspar handles mission tracking and guidance. The project comes from the same team behind Ubisoft's Neo NPCs, demonstrated at GDC 2024.



[1] https://kotaku.com/ubisoft-ai-fps-temmates-genai-nfts-gameplay-snowdrop-reveal-2000646251



They got us all used to horse armor (Score:2, Informative)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

they'll do the same with this shit.

Yeah, us old farts won't cave, but the kids will just grow up with AI Slop as normal. They won't know what they're missing.

Uhg... (Score:2)

by jhoegl ( 638955 )

"AI-powered squadmates"

You can just say NPCs... why do they constantly shoehorn this buzz term in? Is it to gain more funding or something?

Re: (Score:2)

by TwistedGreen ( 80055 )

I thought it was a nod to Daikatana, whose "AI-powered sidekicks" were legendarily bad. They're acknowledging that they too want a game to fail as badly as Daikatana. Every studio should have at least one Daikatana under its belt.

Re: (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

It would be kind of neat to see the algorithms for AI hand it off to a GPU or one of the fancy cores on a modern CPU.

But I can't see that really happening because machine learning algorithms requires so much processing power and modern graphics do the same so you just don't have a lot of head room.

One potentially valuable thing... (Score:2)

by Junta ( 36770 )

Directing NPCs using natural language could enhance single player experience, where games have long sought to have NPC "sidekicks" and at best had to settle for very basic inputs in a real-time scenario "focus on my target, pick your target, form up, spread out" and even then it is generally making the input "too busy". These NPCs are a common source of frustration today, and if the gaming industry can't seem to give up on them, this could at least make them less infuriating... maybe...

Re: (Score:2)

by Luthair ( 847766 )

I don't know, personally if the developer can't be bothered to invest in writing bespoke text, then I'm not going to bother investing in reading it. This is already my MO for quests, if its a generated templatized quest without unique writing I don't bother with them.

AI NPCs (Score:3)

by TwistedGreen ( 80055 )

About time. Using AI to actually do AI for non-player characters is going to make for some very immersive single-player games. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm not sure if this is the best implementation, though... seems like they're failing to learn from Daikatana. But it's Ubisoft, so they'll burn their money as they damn well please.

NFTs (Score:2)

by Viol8 ( 599362 )

Whatever happened to all the gullible mugs who paid $$$ for the right to not actually own but [do something with] some questionable art work? Wonder if there'll ever see their money again... hmmm.....

Meanwhile, the shysters who flogged this meaningless digital crap are probably drinking cocktails by their pools while thinking up another way to fleece idiots. Oh look, here comes AI...

NLP has been around for a while. (Score:2)

by Quakeulf ( 2650167 )

I remember it from 2006...

I am reminded of Daikatana... (Score:2)

by ctilsie242 ( 4841247 )

Two AI assistants? Not sure about other stuff, but this sort of reminds me of the insanely hyped game back in the late 1990s, Daikatana, where one had to ensure AI controlled NPCs made it. It didn't exactly help gameplay back then.

"First things first -- but not necessarily in that order"
-- The Doctor, "Doctor Who"