Latest News

Replica Studios introduces AI-Powered Smart NPCs for Unreal Engine

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Replica Studios, developer of a leading artificial intelligence (AI) voice platform for video games, has announced Replica Studios AI Powered Smart NPCs (non-playable characters), a plugin coming to Unreal Engine later this year. Smart NPCs are powered by OpenAI or the user’s own AI language model, and Replica’s library of over 120+ ethically licensed AI voices, allowing game developers to develop games at scale and create new dynamic gaming experiences.

To showcase the revolutionary technology, Replica has released a Smart NPC demo experience utilising a modified version of Unreal Engine’s Matrix Awakens sample project to showcase some of the features that will be available with the plugin. Watch the trailer here.

“At Replica, we believe AI Voice technology has two-fold potential for furthering narrative-heavy games: eliminating critical bottlenecks in the development process, enabling studios to tell ever bigger and immersive stories, and allowing for the creation of never seen before living-world gaming experiences that shape around the player in real-time,” said Shreyas Nivas, CEO of Replica Studios. “Smart NPCs will allow smaller studios who don’t have the resources to script and vocalise on scale to dream big and scale their games 10x or 100x into the epic adventure they’ve always wanted to make.”

In Replica’s Smart NPC Experience, AI-powered NPCs will dynamically respond to the player’s in-game voice in real time. Characters will change their dialogue, emotional tone and body gestures in reaction to how the player speaks to them. Replica Studios’ NPCs now have a broader range of emotions thanks to Replica’s recent Style Morphing update.

Game designers can also alter the information provided to the AI characters to instruct them to behave differently or have certain personalities, or incorporate their own AI language models to suit their project.

“Just as live service games and battle royale have emerged as popular gaming experiences in the last decade, we see AI creating a new category of virtual experiences known for depth of narrative and dynamic storytelling with hundreds of characters, ever expanding quests and stories,” said Nivas. “When teams begin adopting AI to create these new experiences, we will see the role of writers and narrative designers evolve. Rather than writing complete narrative arcs, they’ll create and fine-tune the conditions that power these AI Smart NPCs – game lore, backstories and motivations – to add a human element that will lead to an engaging live player experience.”

When Replica’s Smart NPC plugin launches for Unreal Engine later this year, game developers will be able to integrate Smart NPCs into their own projects to begin scaling up characters in their games. The plugin integrates AI language model smarts along with Replica’s text-to-speech models and animates the characters in real-time by outputting sound phonemes and timelines to match an audio stream, while using a customised blend space for facial animations to power accurate lip sync, and custom animation blueprints to send body gesture messages for NPCs during their listening, thinking and speaking phases. The result is a natural looking and behaving NPC that can surprise and delight players with thoughtful, funny, and provocative responses, depending on their personal contexts as well as the voice input directly captured from players’ microphones.

The demo will initially run as a cloud based solution but is working towards a locally based solution to give a low latency, multi-user concurrent live experience.

“Within the next technology hop we will see AI powered Smart NPC live games and virtual experiences with hundreds of live concurrent players and NPCs all together, with no more latency than a zoom video call that has hundreds of participants,” concluded Nivas.

Access to Replica Studios’ Smart NPC playable demo is available on the official website. To sign up for the Smart NPC beta, please visit the registration page. For more information about Smart NPCs, please read the official blog post.

Latest News

Expanse Studios (GMGI) Obtains Croatian iGaming Certification

Published

7 minutes ago

July 1, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Expanse Studios, the B2B game development division of Golden Matrix Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GMGI), has received official certification from Croatia’s Ministry of Finance for its flagship game Super Heli, with additional titles in the company’s 56-game portfolio expected to receive approval in the coming weeks for the EU member state.

The certification marks a strategic entry into a market that generated US$484.70m in 2024, with projected growth at a CAGR of 8.4% during 2024-2030. Super Heli, Expanse’s most popular crash-style game, becomes the first of the studio’s titles approved for the Croatian market, paving the way for broader portfolio distribution.

Tapping Into High-Growth European Market

Croatia represents a compelling opportunity for B2B gaming suppliers, with the Online Casinos segment alone projected at US$218.10m in 2024. According to iGamingToday’s latest market research, Croatia’s gambling market will reach €720.42 million by 2025, making it one of Europe’s fastest-growing regulated markets.

Among the key market benefits are:

Accelerating digital adoption – Internet penetration jumped from 76% in 2020 to 83% in 2023
Over 20.6 million tourist arrivals in 2023 following Schengen Zone entry
Over 500,000 Croatians expected to engage in regular online gambling by 2027

Strategic Value for the Company

The certification strengthens Expanse Studios’ European footprint at a critical juncture. With 56 proprietary titles and 500+ B2B partners globally, Expanse is expected to capture a meaningful share in the growing EU market.

“Croatia certification is more than market access—it’s validation of our content quality and compliance capabilities in demanding EU jurisdictions,” said Damjan Stamenkovic, CEO of Expanse Studios. “With our flagship title Super Heli already approved and more games in the pipeline, we’re very excited for the opportunities this markets brings us”

Competitive Advantage in Regulated Markets

Croatia’s regulatory framework favors established, compliant B2B providers. Operators must obtain licenses requiring significant capital investment, and only licensed casino games operators who have at least one brick-and-mortar casino can offer online gambling. This creates high barriers to entry and positions certified B2B suppliers like Expanse as essential partners for operators.

The post Expanse Studios (GMGI) Obtains Croatian iGaming Certification appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

Kristina Jakovleva Represents Slotsjudge at iGB London 2025

Published

2 hours ago

July 1, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The iGB London 2025 event is set to push the boundaries of the online gambling market, and Kristina Jakovleva, Business Development Manager at SEOBROTHERS, will represent Slotsjudge. The event is expected to gather over 15,000 attendees and more than 300 sponsors, and Kristina plans to cover technological trends, discuss affiliate marketing strategies, and foster industry-specific networking.

Event Overview: About iGB London 2025

As one of the iGaming industry’s key global events, iGB London brings together thousands of professionals to drive innovation and growth. Following the success of previous editions, with over 6,500+ affiliates and 150+ programs on offer, the upcoming event promises even greater opportunities for business and collaboration.

Over 15,000+ industry specialists are to join the event this time. This year, participants will discuss technological trends, regulatory updates, affiliate marketing, and branding strategies. Participants can gain actionable insights and learn from successful case studies, making the event both exciting and informative.

About Kristina Jakovleva: Expertise & Plans

Starting her career in education at Liverpool John Moores University, Kristina has been in the iGaming market for years, working as a customer support specialist, affiliate manager, and ultimately as a Business Development Manager at SEOBROTHERS.

Years of experience and a focus on growth enabled Kristina to understand which approach best suited the company quickly, and she successfully implemented strategic partnerships and business growth initiatives to benefit from industry-specific networking.

Expectations & Final Thoughts

Attendees can enjoy iGB London 2025 on 2–3 July 2025 at ExCeL London, and an exclusive AI Concierge service will be available to cover basic questions about the event. Nick Hill, Executive Director at Premier Hill, says that ‘it represents the entire industry, and it is a must-attend show.’

It’s an excellent opportunity for the Slotsjudge team to gain performance-driven insights and plan future growth over the next 12 to 24 months, while other participants can learn from Kristina Jakovleva’s work, reinforcing Slotsjudge’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the overall growth of the iGaming industry.

The post Kristina Jakovleva Represents Slotsjudge at iGB London 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

Solitics launches In-Game Pulse for personalised in-play betting offers

Published

4 hours ago

July 1, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Solitics has launched In-Game Pulse, a powerful tool that allows operators to turn real-time sports moments into high-impact engagement with bettors.

With In-Game Pulse, operators can respond to goals, plays and key events with personalised in-play betting offers, delivered to players when their attention peaks, not after.

It’s powered by Solitic’s new Follow Engine, which tracks what each bettor is interested in and then automatically delivers tailored campaigns based on those interests.

This means marketers build just one journey, rather than separate ones for each possibility.

In-Game Pulse works by connecting an operator’s user data with a live sports feed, then the Follow Engine adapts a single flow to match each user’s interests in real time.

Marketers can then trigger journeys based on the most important moments in a game – a goal, red card – as and when they happen, meaning they are no longer limited to just user behaviour.

The best part is that each campaign is tailored to the individual bettor, and based on the teams, athletes and events they care about.

This makes In-Game Pulse the perfect solution for personalised in-play betting engagement.

This is an example of how it works.

A team scores a goal.

All users with that team in their favourites list get notified instantly.

The messaging is kept really simple:

“Big Moment! Your team just scored. Want to double down on the momentum?”.

The great thing about In-Game Pulse is that it’s not a workaround or a third-party add-on; instead, it sits within Solitics’ engagement flows.

This means operators and their marketing teams can deliver hyper-personalised campaigns at peak interest, with the speed and control that Solitics has built its reputation on.

Guy Shemer, VP Product at Solitics, said: “In-Game Pulse will change the game for how marketers engage players with in-play betting communications and offers.

“In the past, they have had to map out multiple journeys, and this has created a tremendous amount of work, let alone the challenge of pushing communications at the right time.

“In-Game Pulse does all the heavy lifting here, allowing marketers to engage players in the moment and when their attention peaks, not after.

“In short, it allows operators to go beyond their own data and react instantly to live sports moments – moments that can drive betting activity.”

The post Solitics launches In-Game Pulse for personalised in-play betting offers appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.