Latitude Launches Voyage: The Future of Text-Based RPGs with AI

Latitude, the startup known for its AI-generated text adventure games, has just unveiled Voyage, a revolutionary platform that allows users to create their own text-based role-playing games (RPGs). This innovation leverages artificial intelligence to provide gaming experiences where every interaction with a non-player character (NPC) is entirely unscripted.

Voyage enables players to design detailed game worlds by describing environments that include regions, cities, landmarks, as well as main quests and antagonists. Users can also define game mechanics, such as skills, leveling systems, and combat challenges. For example, if a player wants to create a fishing village haunted by a sea monster, the AI generates the necessary code to bring that idea to life. Creators can then further customize their world before sharing it with other players.

The platform offers a variety of experiences across different genres, ranging from cozy adventures to more intense quests. Since Voyage is text-based, players follow the story with available audio narration and type the actions they want their character to take. Unlike traditional RPGs, where choices are often limited to flee, fight, or hide, Voyage allows for unique scenarios, such as becoming a therapist for goblins and solving their problems instead of resorting to violence.

As players input their actions, the AI narrates the outcome, including the NPCs' reactions. The absence of a fixed script allows interactions to take unexpected directions, often surprising and sometimes bizarre. In tests, a troll that had tied up a character began to confide in them about its marital problems, illustrating the depth and originality of possible interactions.

Character progression in Voyage depends on the character's skills and a bit of luck, similar to rolling dice in board games. Each character can unlock special abilities by defeating bosses or completing quests, such as using the "Counterspell" to prevent an enemy from casting magic. Several abilities in Voyage draw inspiration from classic Dungeons & Dragons spells, adding a familiar and fun dimension for genre enthusiasts.

If players find themselves stuck, a chatbot is available to suggest actions or even jump to different parts of the story. At the heart of Voyage is Latitude's World Engine, a system that the company spent five years developing. This engine harnesses multiple AI systems capable of narrating actions, managing gameplay, tracking characters and objects, and remembering stories and relationships, ensuring continuity throughout the game. Thus, instead of generic NPCs with repetitive lines, players encounter characters who remember previous interactions. For example, if you betray a character's trust, they may choose to avoid you or become a rival in future encounters.

Nick Walton, CEO and co-founder of Latitude, explained to TechCrunch that "characters are not just reactions to you, but have their own story and react to you in ways that feel real, and that's really part of the magic of the engine." Latitude first made waves in the AI-native gaming space with the launch of AI Dungeon in 2019, which attracted millions of players.

"It exploded on the internet as one of the first times people interacted with generative AI," Walton said. "It kind of established this initial promise of what would happen if we could have games and worlds that aren't all pre-defined, that aren't all scripted... Voyage takes that basic concept and amplifies it tenfold, moving from a single AI model to a complete world with deterministic systems, challenges, progression, and persistence, and solves all the problems that I think AI Dungeon alone couldn't fully achieve."

Voyage is currently in an expanded beta testing phase, with an open beta planned for later this year. The platform has seen early testers interact with over 160,000 AI-generated characters, each with a distinct personality. The average player has made nearly 3,000 gameplay choices.

Alongside the launch announcement, Latitude revealed a partnership with Google's AI Futures Fund. The platform combines its proprietary models with third-party models like Google's Gemini Flash for image generation and Gemma for text, audio, and video.

Additionally, former Roblox Chief Business Officer Craig Donato has joined the team as an investor and board member. Other notable investors include Album VC, Griffin Gaming Partners, Midjourney, and NFX.

Voyage is free to play but will soon offer subscription plans priced at $15, $30, and $50. These plans will provide advanced AI features and remove limitations on the number of actions players can take.

It is also important to note that while the platform is suitable for all ages, some experiences include mature content, which Walton says is similar to what one might find on Steam. He adds that Voyage implements safety measures and parental controls to help users filter inappropriate material.