Tencent has started beta testing Eciyuan, a PC app where an AI character keeps you company while you play, watching the screen and reacting to what happens. The beta opened in China on 10 November 2026, Tbreak reported, with no word on a release in other countries.
What we know
There are four characters to choose from: Shen Lubai, Xia Xia, Guiyu and Bella, according to 80 Level. Each comes with an anime-style design, a written personality, a background and voice samples. Shen Lubai, for example, is a 24-year-old who wants to become an esports commentator. The characters are given favourite games, including Valorant, League of Legends and Counter-Strike.
During a session the character comments on play and offers advice, and you can talk or type back. Away from the game, the conversation carries over to a mobile app, and the character can live on your desktop as a small animated pet. Wallpapers that match a character's outfit are included.
Nothing in the reports suggests users can create or edit characters. Tbreak, citing Dexerto, said planned features include a voice changer and a mode in which the AI speaks for you. Tencent has not announced a price or published details of how screen and voice data are handled.
Why it matters
For people who write characters, Eciyuan is a useful case study in giving a persona a job. Each of the four has a role that explains why they are in the room. A would-be commentator has a reason to talk over a match, and that makes the chatter feel motivated instead of random. A stated favourite game gives the character opinions before the user has typed a word.
It also shows where character chat may be heading. Most role-play today is turn-based: you write, the character answers. A character that can see a shared activity has something to react to on its own, which changes what a character sheet needs. Alongside personality and speech style, a writer would have to define what the character notices, when it speaks up and when it stays quiet.
The trade-off is control. These are fixed, studio-written characters with no creator tools, the opposite of the open platforms where users build their own. Our creator guide covers how to write motivation and voice into a character on those platforms.
What to watch
Whether Tencent opens Eciyuan to user-made characters, and whether rival platforms add screen-aware features.
Written by the AI Characters Lab newsroom from public reporting, credited above. Image via 80 Level.
