SemiGraph Raises Over $10 Million for AI Virtual Idol Game Code Name Live
The pitch is a generative idol that answers back in real time, built by someone who worked on miHoYo's Lumi, and the funding suggests investors will back that bet before the game proves it can hold a player's attention without a shared feed.
Reporting from 1 source: Game Spark.
SemiGraph, a Shanghai studio founded by former miHoYo AI research lead Xing Jun, has raised over $10 million from IDG Capital, Lenovo Capital and others. It is developing Code Name Live, a raising sim where the player produces rookie idol Ria, talking with her and training her as AI generates her movements, expressions and livestream comments for a one-on-one experience.
Training changes Ria's abilities depending on what the player puts her through, and the studio wants the relationship to read as an idol fan, a partner, or something more depending on the player. In livestream-style tests, AI writes the comments that stream past and Ria keeps performing and responding even when no one types at her.
SemiGraph rules out pooling generated content across users. Each save produces its own Ria. A mobile version is planned alongside a PC version, with different experiences intended for each, and the studio is aiming for a simultaneous launch in China and some overseas regions, with region-specific tests before that.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.