{"id":1928052,"date":"2026-05-10T17:28:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1928052"},"modified":"2026-05-10T17:28:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:28:52","slug":"dragon-quest-creator-thinks-ai-pals-are-not-just-a-convenient-tool-but-a-friend-to-each-individual-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1928052","title":{"rendered":"Dragon Quest creator thinks AI pals are &#8220;not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Dragon Quest creator thinks AI pals are &#8220;not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player&#8221;<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;Even after leaving the game, players might come to consider them as friends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/DQX-blue-character.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Dragon Quest X - blue party member\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"DQX-blue-character.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Square Enix<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Vikki Blake avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1533038852.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Vikki Blake avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1533038852.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/vikki-blake\">Vikki Blake<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-10T17:28:52+00:00\">May 10, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-quest-creator-thinks-ai-pals-are-not-just-a-convenient-tool-but-a-friend-to-each-individual-player?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          4 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"9b9f6de9-923c-4058-ad9c-0a9e206b3f38\" data-name=\"Dragon Quest\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Dragon Quest\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Dragon Quest\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Dragon Quest\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Dragon Quest\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Dragon Quest\" title=\"Follow Dragon Quest\"><br \/>\n  Follow Dragon Quest<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The creator of the Dragon Quest series, Yuji Horii, hopes to use advances in AI to boost the camaraderie between players and their in-game companions.<\/p>\n<p>As reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/toyokeizai.net\/articles\/-\/942756?page=2\">Toyo Keizai<\/a>, and spotted by <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/dragon-quest-creator-wants-ai-game-characters-to-feel-like-real-friends-hopes-dq10-players-will-confide-in-slimey-chatbot\/\">Automaton<\/a>, Horii spoke about the tech at the Google Cloud Next 2026 conference, calling AI &#8220;not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player&#8221;.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined &#8211; Official &#8216;Adventure Log: Part 2&#8217; Trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-T3SqZVrD08\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;When I first created Dragon Quest, I wanted the townspeople&#8217;s dialogue to sound as much like real human speech as possible,&#8221; Horii said. &#8220;Now, AI can actually respond, so I think we can make them feel even more human. However, simply replacing townspeople with AI wouldn\u2019t be fun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added that while players may feel a little foolish speaking to AI chatbots as real friends, &#8220;if it&#8217;s a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Talking specifically about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/google-gemini-ai-to-power-chatbot-companion-in-dragon-quest-x-square-enix-says\">Square Enix&#8217;s recent partnership with Google to develop Oshaberi Slimey (Chatty Slimey)<\/a>, a Gemini-powered AI chatbot that will be integrated into Dragon Quest X, Horii stressed that he not only wanted to see these kinds of AI companions be included in Dragon Quest games, but in other series, too.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s wonderful that [Slimey] can also listen to people&#8217;s concerns with empathy and even talk about things unrelated to the game itself,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As for the long-teased Dragon Quest 12? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-quest-12-takes-the-long-running-rpg-series-down-a-darker-path\">It&#8217;s been five years<\/a> since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/square-enix\">Square Enix<\/a> first announced the game, and we&#8217;ve heard precious little about the title ever since, but Horii has confirmed that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/yes-dragon-quest-12-is-still-in-development-says-series-creator\">the game is still in development<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A classification for a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-quest-11-s-switch-2-rating\">Nintendo Switch 2 version of Dragon Quest 11 S recently surfaced in Taiwan<\/a>. The listing appeared on 29th April.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>The creator of the Dragon Quest series, Yuji Horii, hopes to use advances in AI to boost the camaraderie between players and their in-game companions.<\/p>\n<p>As reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/toyokeizai.net\/articles\/-\/942756?page=2\">Toyo Keizai<\/a>, and spotted by <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/dragon-quest-creator-wants-ai-game-characters-to-feel-like-real-friends-hopes-dq10-players-will-confide-in-slimey-chatbot\/\">Automaton<\/a>, Horii spoke about the tech at the Google Cloud Next 2026 conference, calling AI &#8220;not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player&#8221;.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"primis_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"primis_video\">\n<p><span class=\"embed_placeholder\" data-type=\"targeting\"><br \/>\n<span class=\"message\">To see this content please enable targeting cookies.<\/span><br \/>\n<button class=\"optanon-show-settings link\"><br \/>\nManage cookie settings<\/button><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined &#8211; Official &#8216;Adventure Log: Part 2&#8217; Trailer.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-T3SqZVrD08\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;When I first created Dragon Quest, I wanted the townspeople&#8217;s dialogue to sound as much like real human speech as possible,&#8221; Horii said. &#8220;Now, AI can actually respond, so I think we can make them feel even more human. However, simply replacing townspeople with AI wouldn\u2019t be fun.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added that while players may feel a little foolish speaking to AI chatbots as real friends, &#8220;if it&#8217;s a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Talking specifically about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/google-gemini-ai-to-power-chatbot-companion-in-dragon-quest-x-square-enix-says\">Square Enix&#8217;s recent partnership with Google to develop Oshaberi Slimey (Chatty Slimey)<\/a>, a Gemini-powered AI chatbot that will be integrated into Dragon Quest X, Horii stressed that he not only wanted to see these kinds of AI companions be included in Dragon Quest games, but in other series, too.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s wonderful that [Slimey] can also listen to people&#8217;s concerns with empathy and even talk about things unrelated to the game itself,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I&#8217;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.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As for the long-teased Dragon Quest 12? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-quest-12-takes-the-long-running-rpg-series-down-a-darker-path\">It&#8217;s been five years<\/a> since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/companies\/square-enix\">Square Enix<\/a> first announced the game, and we&#8217;ve heard precious little about the title ever since, but Horii has confirmed that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/yes-dragon-quest-12-is-still-in-development-says-series-creator\">the game is still in development<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A classification for a potential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/dragon-quest-11-s-switch-2-rating\">Nintendo Switch 2 version of Dragon Quest 11 S recently surfaced in Taiwan<\/a>. The listing appeared on 29th April.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Dragon Quest creator thinks AI pals are &#8220;not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player&#8221; &#8220;Even after leaving the game, players might come to consider them as friends.&#8221; Image credit: Square Enix News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on May 10, 2026 4 comments Follow Dragon Quest The creator [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1928052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1928052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1928052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1928052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1928052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1928052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}