Square Enix plans to add Google gen AI to Dragon Quest 10 so a chatbot called "Oshaberi Slimey" can call your outfit ugly in real time: "No thanks"

Square Enix has announced a Google collaboration to bring an original companion character named Oshaberi Slimey to its Japan-exclusive MMO Dragon Quest 10. Slimy is powered by the Gemini AI model, and some fans of the Dragon Quest games are already plotting to kill him.

Anime News Network shares from Japanese news sources, including 4gamer, that, at a recent press briefing, Square Enix and Google Cloud shared their intentions to pursue "living games." The companies define the concept as games where generative AI is crucial to all parts of production – including in player-facing features like the chatbot Oshaberi Slimey.

The slime represents Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii's old dream to include an AI-powered friend in one of his games, because he thinks things like, "It would be fun to investigate a murder case while interacting with AI."

Meanwhile, Dragon Quest fans think things like, "We don't need AI slop!," as one Twitter reaction with nearly 500 likes says, or "hopefully i can kill slimey in game."

"Can't localize it but can put AI bullshit in it," says another popular Twitter comment about Dragon Quest 10.

In summary, "Japan can keep DQ10 after all I guess," as one would-be fan says. "No thanks."

English-language Japanese news update account Genki explains in an original translation that Oshaberi Slimey will react to players on-screen information by doing things like providing hints, commenting on boss fight wins, or recognizing outfit changes using AI-generated speech. But all of those abilities only make Slimey more despicable to those disappointed by Square Enix's seemingly limitless commitment to AI.

"The corporate love for AI needs to die," a Dragon Quest fan concludes. "Consumers don't want this rubbish polluting what we love."

"Square Enix, hire us, I'm not joking," says team of Final Fantasy modders who gave Final Fantasy 7 new voice acting and audio, because "we must fix" the JRPG's busted new PC version.