Summary:
- Character AI is testing games within its platform to increase user engagement.
- Two initial games, Speakeasy and War of Words, are being rolled out to paid subscribers and a limited number of free users.
- The games integrate directly with existing character chats, allowing users to play with their favorite AI personalities.
- This move reinforces Character AI’s focus on becoming an entertainment platform.
As reported in Tech Crunch, Character AI, the startup known for allowing users to converse with AI-powered characters, is now venturing into the gaming realm. The company has begun testing games on its desktop and mobile web apps with the aim of boosting user engagement.
These games are currently available to Character AI’s paid subscribers, with access also granted to a limited subset of users on the free plan. The initial release features two distinct games: Speakeasy and War of Words.
Users with access can initiate gameplay by navigating to any of their existing character chats and tapping a newly added controller icon. The games are designed to integrate seamlessly with these chats, allowing users to play directly with the characters they’ve already been interacting with. To preserve existing conversations, the app prompts users to start a new chat specifically for gaming.
Speakeasy challenges users to prompt the chatbot to say a specific word without using five pre-defined words. For example, a user might need to elicit the word “croissant” while avoiding words like pastry, butter, bake, French, and flaky.
War of Words, on the other hand, pits the user against the character in a verbal duel. An AI referee judges each round over a total of five rounds to determine the winner.
Character AI has stated that this move is part of its broader strategy to enhance the entertainment value of its service.
“Our goal as an AI entertainment company is to find ways to make the Character AI experience even more fun and entertaining,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch. “We’re currently testing a feature that allows gameplay with your favorite Characters, all while keeping the immersive experience users love.”
While users have previously engaged in text-based games with their created characters, such as custom space adventure games, Character AI is now introducing its own curated gaming experiences to the platform.
The company has undergone leadership changes recently, with co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas departing for Google. Since then, Character AI has appointed a YouTube executive as its chief product officer, and Dominic Perella, formerly the company’s general counsel, has stepped in as interim CEO.
In December, Perella emphasized to TechCrunch that Character AI’s primary focus is on entertainment. The introduction of these games further solidifies this direction.
“While there are companies in the space that are focused on connecting people to AI companions, that’s not what we are going for at Character AI,” Perella stated. “What we want to do is really create a much more wholesome entertainment platform. And so, as we grow and as we sort of push toward that goal of having people creating stories, sharing stories on our platform, we need to evolve our safety practices to be first class.”
Character AI’s strategy mirrors that of platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn, and Netflix, which have successfully used games to drive user engagement. By introducing games, Character AI aims to increase the time users spend on its platform. According to analytics firm Sensor Tower, Character AI users currently spend an average of 98 minutes per day on the app.
In the past year, in response to multiple lawsuits, Character AI has also implemented new safety measures for teens, including more prominent labels on AI characters clarifying that they are not real people. The company also introduced a time-out notification that appears after a user has been on the app for 60 consecutive minutes.
