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Square Enix has often made efforts to experiment with major new technologies. Back when cloud computing was all the rage, Square Enix announced several major projects utilising it. The same thing happened when NFTs and blockchain technologies had a brief stint in the limelight. Now for 2026, Square Enix is focused on AI.
The first major experiment from Square Enix with AI will see Dragon Quest X getting an AI-powered Slime character, powered by Google Gemini. The slime companion will be extra chatty, helping solo players and brand-new players feel ‘less lonely' as they start out their journey in the MMO. The announcement was made at a press event in Japan, attended by VGC.
Dragon Quest X is not available worldwide, so only those in Japan will get to see this experiment in action. The game is an MMO, so it is markedly different to all of the other mainline Dragon Quest titles, which are all traditional turn-based JRPGs.
Once in place, when a player talks to Slimey using the chat function, Gemini will automatically generate voices and engage in conversation. In some instances, Slimey may also initiate a conversation itself when a rare item is found, or a tough enemy is defeated.
Whether or not this experiment leads to any broader or grander integrations remains to be seen. As we've seen in the past, Square Enix's experiments with cloud computing and Blockchain technology didn't really lead to much at the consumer-level, so we shall have to wait and see how it goes.
KitGuru Says: With everyone rushing to harness AI in every way imaginable, we've seen a lot of bad ideas pushed to the forefront. However, when it comes to in-game NPCs and side characters, I do think there is potential there to push the envelope and ultimately create more ‘living' or reactive game worlds.
