Today at Gamescom, Kunlun Group announced Club Koala for PC and mobile. The game will allow fully customizable user-generated content which will be generated with assistance from artificial intelligence. The game will allow players from across the world to make their own worlds without needing complicated coding procedures.
About Club Koala
Announced for the first time at the world’s largest gaming event, Gamescom 2023, Club Koala is paving the way for new developments in the industry and leveraging the expansive possibilities of generative AI to provide an authentic and immersive experience that is truly unique to each individual player. Inspired by the CEO’s own childhood, harboring a passion for imaginative gameplay and the joys of the creative world, which was reignited once his daughter was born, he wanted to find a way to bring this magic to life again. For the first time ever, we are putting the power in players’ hands, inspiring them to design their own community and build a space that brings their reality to the virtual world and caters to their specific core needs, whether that is creativity, friendship, fun, education or otherwise.
“AI has become an integral part of everyday life. We see it not only for its huge potential to take the gaming industry to the next level, but a tool to enhance the quality of everyday life around the world,” said Fang Han, CEO of Play for Fun Studio. “With the advent of generative AI and our own cutting-edge technology, we are proud to introduce a UGC gaming experience with AI-powered NPCs where players can express themselves creatively, build companionship and community, and enjoy a dynamic, ever-evolving universe.”
Club Koala comes to life for players through groundbreaking technology and a revolutionary new approach to PC and mobile gaming, with top free features including the following and more:
· Island Construction: Located in the Home Island, this provides the building blocks for social gameplay. Players can use an avatar system to customize virtual identities, design their own experiences, connect with other players through quests and games, and meet AI NPCs along the way that grow alongside players, building companionship and community in their unique dream world.
· Koala Editor: Built on Unity3D and equipped with an abundant model asset box for creating playable UGC level maps and obstacle course games, there is no coding language at all, giving players the freedom to design and customize to their liking without needing outside help. This high-tech editing tool is simplified for people of all levels to easily manage and operate and supports players in their island development. If they can envision it, this tool will help them bring it to life.
· UGC Mini Games: Leveraging the Koala editor, players can design their own unique challenges and games, with different genres that cater to all skill levels and play styles. Players can also have fun competing and participating in mini games with their friends, using each other’s creations, or share their designs with the community, fostering collaboration, feedback, and the opportunity to connect with fellow developers and have exclusive access to one-of-a-kind mini games only available on Club Koala.
· AI NPCs: Using Play for Fun’s Atom AI System, which combines generative AI with the studio’s own developed technology, AI NPCs can learn from players they encounter in the game and adapt their behavior to engage in actions and conversations that are natural and authentic. By analyzing player patterns and preferences, the interaction between the player and the AI NPC will be remembered by the NPC and reflected in the subsequent interaction between them, building a true bond between player and NPC. Each AI NPC will conduct its own behavior according to its own personality traits, characteristics, wishes and memories, and will affect the relationship and development of other NPCs in the world.
Where the Magic Happens
AI NPCs interact with the game environment, perceive surroundings, and coordinate in groups, creating immersive gameplay that feels remarkably human. These interactions form a strong support system for the player and create a community of companions that help build social-emotional skills. The AI NPCs exhibit self-awareness and independence, which includes making their own schedules and executing accordingly, responding to unexpected behaviors, offering personalized challenges and quests, and dynamically evolving and contributing to intricate narratives. Their unique ability to remember all interactions and learn from the player as they go creates an irreplicable personal experience. AIs can be curated to bring real-life people, such as family members and friends, to life in the virtual realm or create whole new personas a player may be seeking in their life for comfort and companionship. By incorporating preprocessing, pan-dialogue, text parsing, and an AI NPC behavior tree structure, the game generates deep storylines and engaging gameplay that reflect the creative style of each individual player.
Club Koala Beta version will be available for public testing on PC and Mobile in Q4 of 2023. To stay up-to-date on the latest, join the Club Koala Discord community which has already established a creator group of 1,000 passionate gamers, artists and developers, with more than 200,000 visits in only eight months. Also follow along on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for news and other surprises leading up to the big day.
While the public beta will be available later this year, there will be more updates planned for the game soon. Stay tuned for more news about Club Koala here on Miso!
