Recently, Square Enix and Google revealed their collaboration on Oshaberi Slimey (Chatty Slimey), an AI chatbot powered by Gemini that will serve as the player’s support character within Dragon Quest X. At the Google Cloud Next 2026 conference, held in Las Vegas, Dragon Quest series creator Yuji Horii provided further insights into his vision for AI “companions” in gaming and his enthusiasm for their integration across various series.
According to Toyo Keizai, Horii sees AI as “more than just a useful tool—it’s a companion for every player,” believing it can transform the adventure experience in RPGs.
When questioned about the inspiration behind bringing Chatty Slimey into Dragon Quest X, Horii explained: “When I first developed Dragon Quest, my goal was to make the townspeople’s dialogue sound as natural as real conversation. Now, with AI, we can actually achieve responsive interactions, making them feel even more lifelike. However, simply substituting townspeople with AI wouldn’t be engaging.”
Horii chose instead to incorporate an AI side-companion that players can engage with on in-game matters and beyond, functioning like a personal assistant but within the context of a game character. “With typical AI, people might feel awkward treating it like a friend, but when it’s a game character, the discomfort is reduced, making it easier for players to discuss various topics,” he noted.
Further elaborating, Horii stated, “It’s remarkable that [Slimey] can listen to players’ concerns with understanding and discuss matters unrelated to the game. I’m interested in exploring how AI characters can accompany players as supportive companions during gameplay, a concept that could extend to other series. AI characters might serve as guides for newcomers and could even become cherished friends long after the game is over.”
The upcoming Chatty Slimey in DQX will provide guidance on activities to pursue next or equipment to use, based on analysis of gameplay progress, in-game screenshots, inventory, and more. It will also support real-time voice interactions via Gemini Live, and as Horii indicated, won’t restrict conversations to game-related topics. Although a beta version has been tested, the official release date remains undetermined.
Mido