San Francisco, United States, April 4th, 2024, GamingWire
Cloudborn, the latest release from Antler Interactive, successfully demoed at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week. Featured in both the Inworld and BGA booths, the first-of-its-kind Web3, RPG, MMO, AI, PC-based game proved to be more than just a lengthy combination of acronyms.
Constantin Berthelier, Narrative Designer at Antler Interactive, led the demonstrations and game tests for attendees at this year’s show. “We had testers of all sorts, some big names from big studios and publishers. Others were devs mostly curious about our title,” he explained.
Attendees appeared most curious about Cloudborn’s use of AI-backed Non-Playable Characters (NPCs), something rival titles are racing to implement. With the first mover’s advantage, the team from Antler Interactive was able to drum up significant interest in their AI-NPC character, Zero.
Constantin recounted, “I had anticipated that most GDC attendees were privy to the recent updates on the AI scene and would be somewhat blasé when interacting with our characters. But no, it did provide the wow effect! Most users were overwhelmed that they had the liberty to tell Zero all they wanted,” he said, then adding “Zero remained relevant and on character no matter what the testers would tell him.”
Cloudborn is a Web3 gaming title, meaning various game elements utilize blockchain technology to give more control and self-ownership to gamers. This is presumed to open doors to many opportunities in a rapidly evolving and competitive technology space. Constantin shared that “The executives of big publishers, like NetEase, Square, Enix, and Amazon, all thought this [the web3 aspect] would be interesting, and even more so when I explained what it could allow.”
Cloudborn encompasses a unique mix of AI and web3 technologies, aiming to improve the gaming experience. Using advanced, gameplay-focused AI – developed by their partners, Inworld – Cloudborn introduces a world that evolves as players make their moves, making environments and characters change in real-time, leading to a more immersive and personal game. Oliwer Svensson from Antler Interactive notes, “This goes beyond simple data; it’s about the unpredictable ways AI shapes your character.” The use of blockchain means players truly own their characters, items, and achievements.
Those testing the new title at the Game Developers Conference described it as “beautiful”, “unique”, and “fresh”, while also remarking on the “well-made UI”. One attendee is quoted as saying that Cloudborn has designed “the best UI possible to contain the AI prompts and feedback”.
Attending the conference has proven to be a catalyst for Antler Interactive’s developmental charge, as they look to make Cloudborn a market leader. During the event, they opened early partnership discussions with several game producers, developers, artists, narrative designers, technologists, Web3 experts, and more, taking away considerable connections to support their growth.
What was most interesting for the Cloudborn team was that while there was a noticeably big web3 presence at GDC there were no direct rivals to their title at the event. “There was one other Web3 game, but offering a very different concept. AI companies were present too, but they weren’t exploring narrative in the same way we are, in creating dynamic NPC personalities. One gaming project was looking at narrative development and AI but on a non-live model”. Cloudborn left the event feeling satisfied by the feedback and the knowledge that they have a unique proposition of a Web3 game that pushes ownership, experience, AI NPCs, and advanced trading.
About Anter Interactive
Antler Interactive is a Swedish gaming studio renowned for its innovative approach to gaming. Focusing on cutting-edge technologies, Antler Interactive strives to create immersive and involving experiences that captivate players worldwide. Antler, a multi-award-winning gaming studio, won the Binance Launchpool project of the year for My Neighbor Alice. Antler Interactive is a subsidiary of ChromaWay. More information can be found at antlerinteractive.com and cloudborn.game.
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