Since introducing immersive NPCs in May 2024, MindArk has continued to expand these systems. With the New Onboarding release in September 2025, these NPCs gained the ability to move independently through the world. Now, MindArk is establishing a new identity for these autonomous characters as development progresses: Synths.

From NPCs to Synthetic Beings

MindArk's AI-powered virtual characters will now be referred to internally as Synths, short for Synthetic Beings. This name reflects MindArk's development direction - creating virtual inhabitants that will live their own lives within the simulation, operating autonomously rather than through pre-scripted behaviors. These are no longer characters controlled by MindArk, but beings making their own decisions.

Built upon MindArk's proprietary in-house AI agent framework, Synths are being developed to process information about the game world and make independent decisions in real-time.

Current State and Internal Development

Synths currently operate in specific areas of Entropia Universe with features including:

Natural language conversations with players, handing out missions, independent movement through limited world areas and individual daily schedules and routines.

MindArk is actively developing several expansions to these systems internally:

Planetary Navigation: Expanding Synth navigation to allow full planetary exploration and habitation across all regions of Entropia Universe with no boundaries.

Enhanced Agency: Developing stronger autonomous decision-making using agentic AI systems, giving Synths the ability to set their own goals and pursue them.

World Awareness: Previously developed as the SENSE system, MindArk is now incorporating this technology into a larger framework that allows Synths to take in more game information and better understand the world around them.

Generative Behaviors: Developing behavior systems that use generative AI to dynamically create and modify Synth actions in real-time. Behaviors are generated based on the situation rather than being pre-scripted - a Synth might choose to help a player who asks for assistance, or decide that going to sleep is more important, depending on its current state and priorities.

Building a New Kind of Virtual World

The ongoing development of Synths represents MindArk's vision for what virtual worlds can become when populated by truly autonomous beings and humans coexisting. MindArk is developing a future where Synths will form their own destinies together with players and other Synths. They will adapt their behavior based on experiences and pursue their own jobs, manage their own economy, strive to fulfill their goals, wishes, fantasies and live lives that unfold independently of the developer.

"We've been working hard on creating independent behaviors for all our virtual characters and exploring how to build a more believable simulation using generative AI," said Terrence Verlander, Chief AI Officer at MindArk. "As we develop these systems and watch these characters grow, they're moving toward living their own lives, operating completely by themselves. We're not just programming NPCs anymore - we're building a new form of virtual life."

Continued Evolution

MindArk will continue developing Synth capabilities as these systems evolve. This work builds on the foundation established with the initial introduction of AI-driven NPCs in May 2024, but the scope has expanded significantly. What was experimental then is now active in a limited form.

This represents one aspect of MindArk's commitment to evolving Entropia Universe - and exploring what happens when virtual worlds become truly alive.