GDC 2025 Session Viewer
Teaching Nix to Behave in 'Star Wars Outlaws'
Simon Abou Assi (Senior AI Programmer, Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio)
Sarah Schulze (Senior Gameplay Animator, Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio)
Juan Miguel Lechuga Pérez (Senior Gameplay Programmer, Massive Entertainment – a Ubisoft Studio)
Pass Type: All Access Pass, Core Pass - Get your pass now!
Track: Design
Format: Lecture
Vault Recording: TBD
Audience Level: All
How can a companion be more useful than a blaster bolt?
Welcome to an inside look at the development of Nix, Kay Vess' adorable companion in Star Wars Outlaws. A grounded character in an open world game can bring a set of realization and navigation challenges which are not often tackled in game development.
This talk explores some of the requirements, gameplay systems and ideas that were introduced to realize the fully interactive companion you see in the finished game. Join three key members of the gameplay team as they talk about NPC behavior, Navmesh challenges, interaction mechanics and the animation systems that brought Nix to life. Whether you're interested in NPC development, gameplay programming, animation, technical design, or the collaborative efforts between the disciplines, this session provides valuable insights into how a companion became an extension of the player character.
Takeaway
Attendees will be able to learn what challenges they are likely to encounter when developing companions in an open world game, and learn some of the solutions we developed.
Intended Audience
This talk is for programmers, designers and animators interested in working on companions or are just curious about how Nix was brought to life throughout the development of the game. Little to no prerequisite knowledge is necessary, as the content will be accessible to attendees of all levels
