Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has enthused about the potential of AI-powered game companions to become ‘friends’ with game players, in a talk at the Google Cloud Next 2026 conference (via Automaton and Toyo Keizai).
Dragon Quest X, a major MMORPG first launched in 2012, will soon get an AI-powered character named Chatty Slimey, which is able to listen to players and share advice, functioning as a companion for the online adventure.
Dragon Quest X AI companion – quick links
Dragon Quest X’s AI implementation
As announced, Dragon Quest X will be the first game in the series to get integrated generative AI features. Chatty Slimey will be a companion for players – although there is hope among players that it will be optional – and will be able to recognise on-screen information as well as player voices, with any input met by direct advice and tips.
Chatty Slimey will reportedly comment on any player outfit changes, as well as celebrate victory against strong enemies, or when a rare item is discovered. It can also give direct game tips and hints on where to go next for players who are stuck on a particular quest.
Speaking at Google Cloud Next 2026, Horii reportedly said he viewed Chatty Slimey as ‘not just a convenient tool, but a friend to each individual player’.
‘When I first created Dragon Quest, I wanted the townspeople dialogue to sound as much like real human speech as possible. Now, AI can actually respond, so I think we can make them feel even more human.’
He made clear that simply ‘replacing’ townspeople with AI wouldn’t be fun, so the Square Enix team partnered with Google’s Gemini team to create this AI side companion, which could serve players in their adventures. He hopes it will be treated like a friend, despite any associated embarrassment with talking to a computer in a friendly manner.
‘With regular AI, people can feel embarrassed about treating it like a friend, but if it’s a game character, the barrier is lower, and people may find it easier to talk to about various topics,’ Horii reportedly said.
‘I think it’s wonderful that [Slimey] can also listen to people’s concerns with empathy and even talk about things unrelated to the game itself. I’d like to explore ways for AI characters to accompany players as supporting companions while they play, which could then expand into other series too.’
‘AI characters could become an entry point that teaches beginners how to play, and even after leaving the game, players might come to consider them as friends.’
Players respond with outrage
Since Chatty Slimey was announced, and despite the enthusiasm from Square Enix, there has been much debate about the practical usefulness of this new in-game companion.
Franchise loyalists have lamented its inclusion, with many responses to the initial reveal labelling Chatty Slimey as just more ‘AI slop’ that actively degrades the human creativity and ingenuity of the Dragon Quest franchise.
‘We don’t need AI slop!’ one X user wrote, to hundreds of likes.
As many have noted, the Dragon Quest franchise has always succeed on the talent of human creatives, with its artistic direction even driven by the late Akira Toriyama, the famed artist and mangaka responsible for the Dragon Ball franchise.
Fans of the franchise are seemingly united in their anti-generative AI stance, with many calling for Square Enix to abandon the idea of Chatty Slimey, even as lead developers like Horii hype up its potential to change the game, and future titles in the Dragon Quest series.
For now, it appears Square Enix is staying the course, even in the face of loud outcry.
