Krafton and Nvidia Unveil "PUBG Ally" to Revolutionize Gameplay with AI

First Opportunity to Experience "PUBG: Battlegrounds Arcade" Coming in Early 2026

Krafton announced on October 30 that it unveiled "PUBG Ally," an AI collaboration model co-developed with Nvidia, at the GeForce Gamer Festival held at K-POP Square in COEX, Seoul.

PUBG Ally is an artificial intelligence character in the form of a Co-Playable Character (CPC), based on an on-device Small Language Model (SLM) built with Nvidia's ACE (Avatar Cloud Engine) technology. This AI character cooperates and plays alongside users within the game PUBG: Battlegrounds.

Lee Kangwook, Head of AI at Krafton, explained, "'PUBG Ally' demonstrates collaborative and proactive gameplay, unlike traditional NPCs. It can discuss strategies with users through conversation, deliver items upon request, assist downed players, and autonomously assess situations to adjust strategies as needed."

He also stated, "PUBG Ally is equipped with a voice chat function specialized for in-game conversations. It understands Battlegrounds terminology, maps, and the strengths and weaknesses of items, enabling natural communication." It supports three languages-English, Korean, and Chinese-and operates on-device, which ensures minimal latency.

Krafton plans to release an experimental version of "PUBG Ally" for user testing through "Battlegrounds Arcade" in early 2026. The company will continue to advance and optimize the model in collaboration with Nvidia, incorporating user feedback over the long term.

Meanwhile, on October 23, Krafton declared its transition to an "AI First" company during its internal communication program, "Krafton Live Talk." Through this initiative, the company will actively pursue a company-wide AI strategy, focusing on agentic AI, automating AI workflows, AI R&D, and strengthening in-game AI services.