Krafton has launched a beta test for Ally Duo, an arcade mode in PUBG: Battlegrounds where players team up with an AI companion named Ella on the Sanhok map, featuring voice-enabled collaboration.

Ella is powered by NVIDIA ACE and on-device small language models to interpret voice commands and game context, enabling real-time speech-to-text and text-to-speech for dynamic interaction.

Krafton is advancing Raon multimodal AI models and plans to fine-tune them for individual games to unlock new gameplay experiences.

Ella processes live game state and player commands in real time, adapting beyond preset responses to handle both combat and planning scenarios.

Developers are addressing challenges like minimizing conversational latency, syncing AI context with game state, understanding player intent in real time, and avoiding infinite loops in erratic combat.

The information comes from a Krafton press release and has been referenced by Insider Gaming and community channels for feedback.

The system aims for low latency by running on-device, allowing Ella to respond quickly in high-speed combat while considering context during strategic moments.

Ella is a CPC—Co-Playable Character rather than a scripted bot—using on-device SLM interpretation, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech to loot, move, strategize, and react in Korean, English, and Chinese.

The Korean-origin story was translated for English audiences, with notes on AI-assisted translation and sourcing.

Ella is designed to actively play alongside the human player as a Co-Playable Character (CPC), not a traditional NPC, with voice-command and game-context understanding guiding actions.

Ella assesses battlefield conditions and proactively responds to enhance immersion, potentially evolving the battle royale experience.

The piece situates Ally Duo within PUBG’s ongoing development and the franchise’s longevity by Krafton and PUBG Studios.