Crafting Scalable AI for a AAA Souls-Like Game in Unreal Engine

Explore advanced AI development techniques for AAA souls-like games through this comprehensive conference talk from Unreal Fest Stockholm 2025. Discover how CI Games Mediterranean Projects SL customized Unreal Engine's AI systems to create a fast-paced, modular, and scalable AI ecosystem for 'Lords of the Fallen' that supports rapid iteration and extends across future franchise titles. Dive deep into key AI systems for combat including perception, targeting, aggro handling, and decision-making processes. Learn how the development team combined Unreal Engine's classic Behavior Trees with the newer State Trees to build a scalable behavior selection system capable of handling both environmental and combat-driven reactions. Examine the navigation challenges of large-scale game worlds filled with diverse enemies of varying sizes and complexity. Gain practical insights on integrating the Gameplay Ability System with AI tools to create a fully data-driven AI system, and understand how to build custom debug tools that help designers pinpoint and solve problems quickly. Benefit from real production issues and solutions shared in a post-mortem style, including how these solutions evolved for subsequent titles. Master proven, production-tested techniques specifically designed for action-focused games in Unreal Engine, making this essential viewing for developers working on similar projects.