Krafton and Nvidia team up to create smarter AI characters for PUBG and inZOI

Nvidia and Crafton revealed a new on-device AI that enables smarter AI characters for PUBG and inZoi.

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

The AI ​​language module is on-device, meaning it stays on your local computer and is not connected to the cloud. For gaming, this language model will bring unprecedented levels of immersion in games, creating for the first time Co-Playable Characters (CPC), which will replace the traditional Non-Playable Character (NPC), Kang said. -Wook Lee, leader. of Krafton's deep learning division, in an interview with GamesBeat during CES 2025.

In a video, Krafton showed how an NPC can help carry a human player to victory in a battle royale game. You can see in that video embedded in this story how the NPC can dance and talk with the player, and help with tactics as both hope to win a chicken dinner against other people. Lee believes this innovation is the kind of thing that will help PUBG grow its audience, given that the game is eight years old.

Why is this important?

Krafton said CPCs can communicate naturally and verbally with players and each other, unlocking immersive experiences never before possible. This technology represents a giant leap in immersive gaming and redefines the role of AI in the future of entertainment.

How this comes about especially in the PUBG Franchise and inZOI:

PUBG franchise: CPCs will introduce a new SLM-powered companion that can verbally communicate and accompany the player. Players can chat and strategize with their AI-powered CPC companion just as they would a human companion, greatly enhancing gameplay.

in ZOI: Players will experience a simulation where they explore not only their character's life, but everyone's life in a full-scale simulation, where citizens, called “Zois,” interact -operating and making choices based on free will and life experiences in real time. Zois will follow fashion trends, spread rumors, improve reputation and more, powered by the SLM.

Crucially, this technology runs 100% locally on a user's device, without the need to communicate with a data center, improving data privacy, responsiveness, and eliminating the need for subscription fees.

inZOI video game trailer description

In inZOI, each of the 300 characters (called 'Zois') in the city is driven by around 600 different mental data points, forming the basis of the game's Realistic Life Simulation (RLS) experience. Although traditional rule-based systems can produce different outcomes, they ultimately fall short of effectively using Zoi's features to drive context-appropriate behaviors to generate

To address this, Krafton introduced 'Smart Zoi' using its on-machine language model, making Zois more dynamic by incorporating features such as age, personality, and current situations. This allows them not only to perform calculated actions but also to change their behavior when faced with unexpected situations, similar to real people.

At the end of each day, Zoi analyzes their experiences, shapes their actions for the next day and encourages continued growth into a unique and personal character. This dynamic interplay fosters a diverse city, full of unexpected events that create a deep simulation experience.

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

In PUBG, you can play with him in a duo, competing against other human players to be the only survivors of the PUBG game.

“It's based on the whole language model, text model, text-to-speech model, all together basically being able to think about what they need to hear,” Lee said. “There are so many things that can for you to do. For example, you can have some strategic descriptions. I want to play differently. Every action sequence is done with a language model. At the end the day, you can imagine who it is the next day will be similar. Planning is also done with language model decisions and so on.”

Krafton has a team of about 80 people working on developing the technology for the AI ​​characters. It's a little crude in some ways, but basically the character behaves like a human player. Players will be able to take the technology and create their characters.

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

Lee said he is optimistic about AI in games.

“I'm pretty sure AI will change almost everything we've been doing for years,” he said. “For the games industry and gamers, I'm very optimistic about it. I see 2025 as the biggest year in the world of AI, and I would say that InZOI is going to be a major milestone in gaming.”

InZOI, the life simulation game, will launch in March. Lee said Krafton also uses AI tools to accelerate the speed at which it creates.

Lee previously believed that smart NPCs would appear in games in 2024. But it seems that 2025 is the big year for that.

“Some of the AI ​​models are perfect. When they make a small mistake, even with a chance in a million, someone will get hurt. But for AI for gaming, our species will not be endangered. When these characters make mistakes, it's funny,” Lee said. “They make silly jokes sometimes and say random things. But they're fun.”