Nunu.ai has raised $6 million and unveiled Unembodied Minds, or AI agents designed for game testing and to control any given body and perform a task in any environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These AI agents will be versatile enough to test hundreds of game levels and do other tasks as well. But it will raise the question whether the automation of game testing will cost more human game tester jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company said its vision extends beyond video games. As games become increasingly realistic, game engines are evolving into advanced physics engines capable of simulating real-world conditions. Since\u00a0Nunu.ai\u2019s AI agents can act and navigate in any virtual environment, the company believes its platform will naturally progress into real-world applications.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince our launch, several gaming studios have deployed our AI agents to QA-test their video games. As we continue to work across all platforms in the games industry, we plan to expand beyond virtual environments into the real world,\u201d said cofounder Kyrill Hux, in a statement. \u201cWe will leverage this funding to recruit top talent, expand Nunu.ai\u2019s infrastructure, and cement our position as a leader in video game QA automation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A16z speedrun\u00a0and\u00a0Tirta Ventures co-led the round, with participation from Y Combinator and other investors. This funding brings the total amount raised to date to $8 million, following a $2 million pre-seed round in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNunu.ai\u2018s unembodied AI agents represent a paradigm shift in how we think about testing and automation,\u201d said Ben Feder, managing partner at Tirta Ventures and ex-CEO of Take-Two Interactive. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to support\u00a0Nunu.ai\u2019s adaptable AI agents.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cofounder Jan Schnyder said in a statement, \u201cWe believe the pathway to embodied AI goes through gaming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company\u2019s cofounders \u2014 Schnyder, Hux, and Nicolas Muntwyler \u2014 met in 2017 during a lecture at ETH Zurich. While students, they worked on multiple projects, one of which eventually evolved into\u00a0Nunu.ai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As video game development scales to unprecedented levels, so do testing challenges. For instance,\u00a0GTA 6<\/em>\u2019s budget reportedly exceeds\u00a0 $2 billion, while\u00a0Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War<\/em>\u00a0cost $700 million. Testing these increasingly complex games is both time-consuming and expensive. Game developers allocate approximately 10% of their budget to Quality Assurance (QA), relying heavily on expensive manual, repetitive testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Efforts to automate QA have traditionally fallen short. Studios typically depend on automation scripts that frequently break during game updates, leading to constant maintenance headaches, higher costs, and loss of valuable time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Studios also use manual QA, which requires people to be on task, on point, and available.\u00a0Nuni.ai\u00a0offers an alternative: developers can integrate our\u00a0Nunu.ai\u2019s AI agents and use natural language commands to direct them to perform tasks in the game. In one video demonstration, the agent completed the tutorial of\u00a0Hogwarts Legacy\u00a0after being given simple instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur goal is to 10x QA engineers by automating the boring and tedious testing tasks, freeing them up to do more valuable ad-hoc testing,\u201d said cofounder Nicolas Muntwyler, in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several game studios use the Nunu.ai\u00a0platform to run hundreds of automated tests monthly,\u00a024\/7. The technology can benefit both large and small studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an experiment, the company said it ported its tech stack onto a real-life quadruped robot\u00a0and commanded it to perform real-life tasks like retrieving a Coca-Cola bottle from a table and checking the fridge for bananas. While the immediate focus remains on video game testing, Nunu.ai sees potential for the technology in robotics and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As\u00a0Nunu.ai\u00a0continues to work across all gaming platforms, the company aims to expand its technology into real-world applications. With game engines evolving into advanced physics engines,\u00a0Nunu.ai\u2019s AI agents are poised to navigate both virtual and real-world environments, driving the future of AI-driven solutions, the company said.<\/p>\n