A web3 company, Today, has received $5 million in seed funding to create a simulation game known as "Today." This game aims to be similar to Animal Crossing, featuring non-player characters (NPCs) powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) and tradeable digital assets.

The main focus of Today is on digital real estate, where players can use seeds of different rarities to build their own island environment to explore. The uniqueness of the island depends on the rarity of the seed, resulting in distinct features, characters, and objects.

Scheduled for an early 2025 release, Today has been sharing work-in-progress videos showcasing a gaming world reminiscent of cozy games like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Sun Haven, providing a simulated social gaming experience.

The game plans to enhance player interactions through compelling NPCs that can engage in conversation using scripted dialogue trees. Today aims to utilize generative AI technology to power its NPCs, enabling them to have deeper, more realistic interactions within the game.

Popular generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude models can generate engaging speech on various topics. However, it's important to note that these AI systems may sometimes provide incorrect or nonsensical information in their responses.

As mentioned by Michael O’Connor, co-founder of Today, in an interview with GamesBeat, the goal of the team is to replicate real-life relationship dynamics within the game using advanced AI. This approach aims to provide players with a more immersive experience compared to traditional NPC interactions in social simulation games.