Ubisoft and Riot Games Announce Tech Partnership for Tackling Harmful Content in Game Chats

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Image: Ubisoft/Riot Games

Ubisoft has partnered with Riot Games for a new research project that aims to make online gaming, as described by the League of Legends maker, more positive, more inclusive, and, ultimately, more fun for everyone. Dubbed “Zero Harm in Comms,” the project is still at an early stage but will see the creation of a shared database of anonymized data, according to Ubisoft, one that will then be used to train Ubisoft and Riot’s systems to better detect and mitigate disruptive behavior. Riot Games noted in its own writeup of the new tech partnership that any data gathered that will be able to identify a person will be removed before sharing.

“Disruptive player behaviors is an issue that we take very seriously but also one that is very difficult to solve. At Ubisoft, we have been working on concrete measures to ensure safe and enjoyable experiences, but we believe that, by coming together as an industry, we will be able to tackle this issue more effectively.” said Yves Jacquier, Executive Director, Ubisoft La Forge. “Through this technological partnership with Riot Games, we are exploring how to better prevent in-game toxicity as designers of these environments with a direct link to our communities.”

“Disruptive behavior isn’t a problem that is unique to games – every company that has an online social platform is working to address this challenging space. That is why we’re committed to working with industry partners like Ubisoft who believe in creating safe communities and fostering positive experiences in online spaces,” said Wesley Kerr, Head of Technology Research at Riot Games. “This project is just an example of the wider commitment and work that we’re doing across Riot to develop systems that create healthy, safe, and inclusive interactions with our games.”

From a Riot Games press release:

Today, Ubisoft and Riot Games announced the “Zero Harm in Comms” research project, a technological partnership to enhance the reach of their artificial intelligence-based solutions in order to prevent harmful player interactions. This research initiative aims to create a cross-industry shared database and labeling ecosystem that gathers in-game data, which will better train AI-based preemptive moderation tools to detect and mitigate disruptive behavior.

Both active members of the Fair Play Alliance, Ubisoft and Riot Games firmly believe that the creation of safe and meaningful online experiences in games can only come through collective action and knowledge sharing. As such, this initiative is a continuation of both companies’ bigger journey of creating gaming structures that foster more rewarding social experiences and avoid harmful interactions.

Still at an early stage, the “Zero Harm in Comms” research project is the first step of an ambitious cross-industry project that aims to benefit the entire player community in the future. As part of the first research exploration, Ubisoft and Riot are committed to sharing the learnings of the initial phase of the experiment with the whole industry next year, no matter the outcome.

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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