With AI technology becoming more commonplace, professionals such as ex-Sony Interactive Entertainment executive Shuhei Yoshida and Nexon CEO Junghun Lee have given their thoughts on how it might affect the video game industry. Now Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has put his two cents on the matter, saying he is interested in the ways AI and VR could evolve how video games are made and played. He seems especially hopeful that chatbot-like technology will find proper use in games.
At the 2025 G-Star annual video game developers convention in South Korea, held from November 13 to 16, Horii said he was impressed by how AI technologies like ChatGPT can give advice on various topics and handle inquiries logically (source: Famitsu). Admitting that he uses the chatbot himself, Horii thought it would be interesting for a quiz or mystery game to use a similar kind of AI tool for players to interact with as part of gameplay.
He gave examples such as players chatting with in-game AI partners to solve a case, or an AI assistant compiling investigative information that the player can inquire about through interactions. “If that were possible, it would be a lot of fun.”
When asked if he would like to incorporate this kind of AI into his future games, Horii replied with “yes.” He also expressed interest in VR, though he considers the awkwardness of having to wear a headset for long periods as a barrier for the medium.
As a final note, Horii predicts that games will eventually “step out of the monitor,” bringing the virtual world closer to the real world. He cited VR and online titles as examples, saying they force players out of their comfort zones by interacting with games in different ways. With regards to online titles specifically, he found it fascinating how some people are transformed after making lifelong friends and even marital partners while playing a game.
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Mr. Horii, no.
What is interesting is this is becoming a thing what Horii mentions there is a Youtube video of the AI And Games Conferance called “Narrative-Driven Generation: Story to Game World using LLMs | AI and Games Conference 2024” by Rachel Dong that discusses this topic and even a murder mystery concept. I wish there was a way to tell him to look into that. Also Square Enix owns an AI company if i am not mistaken and has partnered up with one from a University. It’s definitely possible Horii could work on something like this for Video Game purposes. I really like his fascination with integrating technology into Games to create new experiences and interactions.
I also agree with him that we will see the bridge between the AI world and the Real World blur and potentially even have something like AI Avatars in the PC/Console space alongside the Gaming space as time goes on where it will be seamless and sort of Isekai’sh.
As corny as it is to hear that Horii is really into ChatGPT… having read some really old interviews, this isn’t that surprising.
Artificial intelligence, of the “computer-controlled interactions” variety, has been a long-standing interest of his. Most of Dragon Quest IV’s development was spent developing party AI, and it learned from the player’s habits, so it was a big deal even at the time, especially for a Famicom game.