Ubisoft Reveals Teammates, a Playable GenAI Experience as CEO Says Generative AI Will Transform the Industry Like the Move to 3D

Ubisoft has introduced Teammates, a new playable prototype that showcases the publisher’s most advanced work in generative artificial intelligence. Developed by the same team responsible for 2024’s Neo NPC demo, recently honored under the France 2030 innovation program, Teammates brings adaptive AI technology into a traditional first person shooter setting for the first time.

In the original 2024 prototype, Neo NPCs demonstrated natural language abilities and cognitive behaviors but were limited to static environments. Teammates represents the next phase of this research. Ubisoft places Non Playable Characters within an active combat scenario and equips them with real time generative AI capabilities that allow them to interpret voice commands, respond with contextual awareness, and display distinct personalities.

From mission briefings to moment to moment battlefield decisions, NPCs react dynamically to a player’s tone, strategy, and even personal slang. According to Ubisoft, these characters can interpret player intention, read environmental cues, and deliver fluid reactions that elevate immersion and increase the sense of agency.

Narrative Director Virginie Mosser explained the design philosophy behind the project:

It is about experimenting with entirely new ways of creating interactive stories. Our role is to give AI meaning, to narrativise it, ensuring logic does not replace soul. We designed Teammates to leave space for player creativity and to balance emotion with unpredictability.

Alongside the prototype, Ubisoft unveiled Jaspar, an in game AI companion designed to support players throughout missions. Jaspar can recognize players by name, assist with onboarding, understand lore, highlight threats, identify critical objects, remind players of mission objectives, provide tactical recommendations, and even manage HUD elements or adjust settings. The assistant acts as a personalized guide that adapts to a player’s needs at any moment.

Teammates is also a technical testbed. Ubisoft has built a new API that abstracts the complexity of generative systems and embeds extensive safeguards including hallucination controls, bias mitigation, and toxicity filters. This framework is intended to give Ubisoft’s creative teams a reliable and controllable GenAI layer for future projects.

Director of Gameplay GenAI Xavier Manzanares said:

Games of tomorrow will listen, understand, and react to players far more than today. Our research offers a glimpse of what adaptive generative play can add to proven systems. This is the first time we have shared an experiment so early with players, and our goal is to pave the way with a strong technology foundation so that our creators can imagine new value for their projects and their players.

In the official announcement, Ubisoft co founder and CEO Yves Guillemot emphasized that creativity will remain deeply human even as generative AI accelerates production and expands possibilities. During the quarterly earnings call, Guillemot went further, saying:

We are making great strides in applying GenAI to high value use cases, delivering tangible benefits to our players and teams. It is as significant a revolution for our industry as the transition to 3D, and we are well positioned to lead in this space.

Although the Teammates technology is still in an early experimental phase, Ubisoft has already shared the build with several hundred players in a closed playtest. Feedback from real users and internal creative teams will guide future iterations. Ubisoft also confirmed that a dedicated explainer video demonstrating Teammates in action is coming soon.

Do you believe generative AI driven NPCs will meaningfully enhance player immersion, or do you prefer traditional scripted interactions? Share your perspective below.