PUBG Ally public testing begins in early 2026

Krafton, the developer behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, has unveiled its new AI-driven companion, ‘PUBG Ally', at Nvidia's “GeForce Gamer Festival” in Seoul. Krafton is labelling it a ‘Co-Playable Character' (CPC), designed to interact and collaborate with live players, going well beyond what you would expect from your typical NPC.

The system is built using Nvidia Ace technology and runs on an on-device Small Language Model (SLM). Kangwook Lee, Head of Krafton AI, detailed the partner's capabilities, stating that ‘PUBG Ally' is designed for both cooperative and independent gameplay, unlike standard bots. Lee said it can “discuss strategies with players and adjust its playstyle accordingly”, which means that, in-game, the AI can make autonomous decisions during combat, fetch specific items for the player, or assist with revives, all while modifying its approach as conditions change.

Lee also emphasised that ‘PUBG Ally' enables voice-based communication. The system supports English, Korean, and Chinese. The AI is trained explicitly on PUBG terminology, including map locations and item attributes, to allow for natural player communication. As we reported earlier this week, players will get to test PUBG Ally in early 2026 as part of PUBG: Battlegrounds Arcade.

KitGuru says: Do you think we'll start to see more Nvidia ACE AI NPCs in games in the coming years? 

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