Theta Labs is excited to launch the new AI Characters dashboard, making it easier for game developers to create, customize, and bring intelligent characters into their games.
Alongside a simpler development experience, we’re introducing interactive demos and a cost calculator that helps developers estimate expenses before they build.
AI Characters, first introduced in July 2026 as part of Theta EdgeCloud’s AI gaming services, gives developers a way to build non-playable characters (NPCs) that can go beyond fixed scripts. Characters can respond to players in real time, react to in-game events, and behave according to their own personalities, backgrounds, and goals.
From Character Ideas to Playable Experiences
Imagine a detective who questions your choices, a merchant who reacts to how you negotiate, or a poker opponent who responds to your playing style. AI Characters makes these kinds of interactions possible without requiring developers to build the underlying AI infrastructure themselves.
Through the new dashboard, developers can:
Create game worlds
Build worlds with their own settings, rules, and stories.
Design characters
Start from templates or from scratch, defining personalities, knowledge, and speaking styles.
Run interactive sessions
Characters respond to player messages, actions, and events while keeping track of session context.
Integrate into games
A standard HTTPS API that works with engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot.
The dashboard brings these tools together in one place, so developers can move from creating a character to testing interactions and incorporating responses into gameplay with less setup.
Know Your Costs Before You Build
Ease of use is only part of the story. We also want developers to have a clear understanding of what AI Characters will cost.
Our new cost calculator lets developers estimate expenses based on expected usage, making it easier to budget for an early prototype or a larger game. Estimates help with planning, while actual charges depend on usage.
AI Characters follows a transparent, pay-as-you-go model:
Input tokens
$7.50
per 1M tokens
Output tokens
$20.00
per 1M tokens
Knowledge-base embeddings
$0.20
per 1M tokens
No minimum spend · No seat fees · No long-term contracts
Developers can start small, experiment, and scale as their games grow. Clear pricing and a way to estimate costs upfront mean fewer surprises and more control over project budgets.
Try the Characters Yourself
You don’t need to develop games to see what’s possible. The AI Characters experience includes five example characters, each with a different personality and style, that visitors can chat with directly.
There’s also an interactive poker demo showing how AI characters can do more than hold conversations. Opponents can take part in gameplay, make decisions, and respond according to the roles and behaviors defined for them.
These demos give both developers and the Theta community a practical look at how more responsive game characters could change the player experience.
Another Step Forward for Theta EdgeCloud
AI Characters is Theta EdgeCloud’s first dedicated AI gaming product. It builds on the platform’s AI computing and inference capabilities to offer something developers can use directly in their games.
This launch is about making that technology more practical: simpler tools to create with, examples anyone can try, and transparent costs developers can plan around.
We’re excited to see what developers build, from small experiments to entirely new game experiences.
Questions, Answered Plainly
What is AI Characters?
A developer product that lets you add AI-powered NPCs with defined personalities, speaking styles and knowledge to your game. Use them live, with replies written as people play, or in Story mode, with every branch of dialogue written ahead of release.
Does it work with Unity or Unreal?
Yes. It’s a universal HTTPS API, so you call it with the HTTP client each engine already ships: UnityWebRequest in Unity, FHttpModule in Unreal, or HTTPRequest in Godot. No proprietary SDK to install or keep updated. For branching dialogue and cutscenes, use Story mode instead: export the dialogue as a JSON file and your game reads it with no network calls while people play.
Do characters remember players?
Within a session, yes. Each session keeps the full history of what the player has said, what they’ve done and what’s happened in the world around them, so characters build on it rather than starting fresh with each line. A new session starts with a clean slate, so if you want a character to recall an earlier visit, pass that in when the scene begins, as its situation or as an event. Because each character is defined once, with their personality, speaking style and knowledge, players meet the same character, with the same voice, every time they come back.
How much does it cost?
AI Characters is priced on usage, per token, with no seat fees or message caps. Input is $7.50 per 1M tokens, output is $20.00 per 1M tokens, and knowledge-base embeddings are $0.20 per 1M tokens. Use the cost estimator to see what a month of conversations could cost.
Who owns the characters and what they say?
You do. Under the Theta EdgeCloud Terms of Service, you keep all rights to what you put into the platform, from character profiles and lore to your game data, and Theta assigns you any rights it holds in the content generated for you.
Whether AI-generated output can itself be protected by copyright varies by country. In the US, purely AI-generated material isn’t protected but your own creative contributions are. The UK has separate rules for computer-generated works. The EU requires a human author’s own intellectual creation. In China, a Beijing court has recognised copyright in an AI-assisted image where the user’s creative input was substantial, and South Korea registers AI-assisted works where human creativity leads. The common thread: the more of your own creative work that shapes a character, the stronger your position. Please check the rules in your own jurisdiction.
This answer is general information, not legal advice. Theta Labs accepts no responsibility or liability for any decision made, or action taken, in reliance on it, or for how copyright law applies to your content in your jurisdiction. For anything business-critical, speak to a qualified lawyer.
Will it scale as my game grows?
Yes. Theta EdgeCloud runs with no contracts and no lock-in, and it scales with your ambition, from a weekend prototype to a live game with a growing player base. You only pay for what you use.
What’s next for AI Characters?
We’re working on even smoother ways to bring characters into Unity, Unreal and Godot, and real-time WebSocket support is in development, so replies can reach your game the moment they’re ready.
