PUBG Ally: KRAFTON Launches Global Beta with Revolutionary AI Teammate in PUBG BATTLEGROUNDS

16-06-2026 11:50 DL GAMING

KRAFTON takes a new step in the integration of artificial intelligence into video games. Starting June 17, 2026, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS players will be able to test PUBG Ally, an AI companion capable of playing, communicating and strategizing in real time alongside them.

South Korean developer KRAFTON officially opens the global beta of Ally Duo, an all-new Arcade mode in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS designed to showcase the capabilities of PUBG Ally, its AI-based smart companion technology.

Available from June 17 to July 1, 2026, this test phase will allow players around the world to discover a unique cooperative experience where they will team up with Ella, a character controlled by AI, on the famous Sanhok map.

An AI partner capable of understanding and acting

In Ally Duo, each player forms a squad of two with Ella. Unlike traditional NPCs, this virtual teammate doesn’t just execute predefined scripts. She is able to understand players’ voice commands, analyze the context of the game and react dynamically.

Players can ask him to move, collect objects, follow them or even participate in the development of strategies. This voice interaction aims to create more natural and immersive cooperation than that offered so far in multiplayer games.

PUBG Ally: the AI ​​that wants to become a real teammate

At the heart of this innovation is PUBG Ally, a technology developed by KRAFTON and presented as a new generation of co-playable character. Powered by a compact language model running directly on the player’s device and powered by NVIDIA ACE technology, it is designed to interact in time real with its environment.

PUBG Ally combines several advanced technological bricks:

• Voice recognition (STT) to understand the player’s instructions;
• Text-to-speech (TTS) to respond naturally;
• Contextual analysis of game situations;
• Adaptive decision-making based on the evolution of the game.

For actions requiring an immediate reaction, such as moving or picking up equipment, the system favors minimal latency. For more complex situations, such as tactical coordination or clash management, the AI ​​takes into account the overall context of the game in order to propose coherent decisions.

A major experiment for the future of video games

For Kangwook Lee, director of AI at KRAFTON, this beta represents an important step in the exploration of intelligent companions in competitive games.

According to him, Ally Duo will provide a better understanding of how artificial intelligence can enrich multiplayer experiences and open up new gameplay possibilities. Player feedback collected during the testing period will be used directly to improve the technology.

Same vision from SangKyun Kim, responsible for the development of PUBG, who believes that PUBG Ally could also offer new opportunities to content creators thanks to new interactions and emerging narrative situations.

Three languages ​​available for the global beta

During this first testing phase, PUBG Ally voice interactions will be available in:

• Corén ;
• Chinese;
• English.

KRAFTON plans to gradually expand the linguistic and functional capabilities of its AI companion as community feedback is incorporated into development.

The AI ​​at the heart of KRAFTON’s strategy

This initiative is part of a broader KRAFTON strategy aimed at integrating artificial intelligence into its various productions. Last April, the publisher had already presented Raon, a new family of multimodal AI models intended to be adapted to its games.

The stated objective is to transform the video game experience by offering characters capable of understanding, learning and interacting with players in a much more natural way than before.

With Ally Duo and PUBG Ally, KRAFTON offers a first concrete glimpse of what cooperation between humans and artificial intelligence could become in video games in the coming years.