It has been announced that PUBG developer Krafton aims to use contemporary technology to produce NPCs that are nearly indistinguishable from actual humans. Even if PUBG’s current situation hasn’t been ideal, the game’s designers are confident in their long-term vision for the game, which is reassuring. As thrilling as it may be for some gamers, the announcement of PUBG becoming a free-to-play game disappointed some. In response to Krafton’s move, PUBG was bombarded with negative reviews on its Steam website.
A large majority of the game’s tens of thousands of unfavourable reviews centred on the fact that it had been made free after formerly costing $30. For those who purchased Battlegrounds before the game become free-to-play, Krafton did provide automatic upgrades to the Battlegrounds Plus subscription. Krafton, the maker of PUBG, has revealed intentions to create virtual avatars that are nearly indistinguishable from real-life individuals (via PCGamesN). The facial expressions and pupil movements of these characters are said to be mimicked to give them convincing emotions.
To commemorate the game’s transition to free-to-play, the latest PUBG teaser features an early version of “virtual people.” Unreal Engine, Krafton’s patented technology solutions, and motion capture are at the heart of the “virtual humans” concept. Krafton intends to develop virtual celebrities, such as esports players, influencers, and even singers, in addition to the hyper-realistic NPCs already planned for usage in current and future games. Such AI-powered figures would also be able to engage directly with players in the future. The gaming community’s newfound interest in PUBG makes this a good opportunity to publicise a new technology that may enhance the gamer’s experience.
There was a protest after the news, but player numbers have increased by over 500% since the game was free to play. Newcomers are mostly to blame for such a dramatic increase in the number of players taking part in the nonstop battle royale activity. Since the launch of Steam, the number of concurrent users has increased dramatically. There were over 700,000 PUBG enthusiasts online when its free version was released earlier this month. To be fair, Krafton’s dedicated film and PUBG’s cinematic teaser both show that the technology is far from being finalised, despite recent demonstrations of “virtual humans.”
However, a primitive proof of concept like this is anticipated at this early level. Since Krafton does not want to lose interest in the technology along the road, I hope that at some point in the future they will be able to provide demonstrations of greater quality. If nothing else, fresh PUBG trailers are sure to be worth a second glance.