Inworld, an AI company specializing in non-player characters and narrative systems, has announced a new multi-year partnership with Microsoft Xbox to bring more realistic NPCs and stories to video games.

While part of the pitch is how much money developers can save with these new AI tools, a faster process could lead to more innovative uses of characters and storylines in new and interesting ways.

“Together, we aim to deliver an accessible, responsibly designed, cross-platform AI toolset to aid and empower creators in dialogue, story, and quest design. As with all creator tools at Xbox, our goal is to deliver state-of-the-art AI to game developers of all sizes, everywhere in the world, and on every platform where players want to play,” said Haiyan Zhang, General Manager of Gaming AI for Xbox, in a statement. “We want to make it easier for developers to realize their visions, try new things, push the boundaries of gaming today, and experiment to improve gameplay, player connection, and more.”

Inworld calls it an AI copilot (like Microsoft’s AI for computers) and promises to create two sets of tools that developers can use in their games. There will be an AI design tool that will help designers explore interesting creative ideas and help them refine their scripts, dialogue trees, and quest systems. There will also be an AI character engine that will be integrated directly into the games themselves, giving developers even more opportunities to take advantage of. Think dynamically generated stories and playable quests built right into the game. No two playthroughs will be the same.