Yufeng Huang

Hi, I’m Yufeng Huang — I build intelligent NPCs and AI-powered tools for video games. I currently lead a small AI and tools group at Tencent SGRA Studio, where I work on NPC intelligence, agent behavior, and AI-assisted production workflows for an upcoming cozy life-sim title.

With 8+ years across Tencent, ByteDance, and NetEase, I’ve shipped real games that millions of players have actually played — from MOBA combat AI to open-world NPC behavior to LLM-driven autonomous characters. Lately, I’ve become deeply interested in human-centered AI agents: how to build virtual characters that feel emotionally aware, remember who you are, and grow alongside you over time.

Research interests

I study AI agents in Human-AI Interaction, focusing on how they build long-term relationships with users and participate in collaborative and co-creative processes. My current interests include:

• Emotionally aware and personalized AI agents with long-term memory
• Autonomous character behavior in interactive virtual environments
• AI-assisted authoring tools for narrative, dialogue, and behavior design
• Evaluation and alignment of agent behavior in interactive settings

Titles I’ve worked on

Animula Nook

wishlists open

A cozy miniature life-sim where you shrink down and build a whimsical world on your desk. I lead the AI and tools team, responsible for NPC intelligence and 10+ LLM-powered authoring tools.

Steam WeGame Official Site

Dragonheir: Silent Gods

launched 2023

An open-world high-fantasy strategy RPG with D&D content. I built the tactical combat AI and an event-driven NPC narrative system powering 1,000+ concurrent NPCs per scene.

Steam Official Site App Store

Onmyoji Arena

launched 2018

NetEase's flagship MOBA with elegant Heian-era aesthetics. I shipped various gameplay systems including hero skills, activities, battle pass, and more.

Official Site App Store Google Play

Background

Before Tencent, I was at ByteDance Nuverse (2021–2024), where I worked on tactical combat AI, open-world ambient NPC behavior, and generative AI for game production. Before that, I was at NetEase Games (2017–2021) working on gameplay systems and companion AI for MMORPG and MOBA titles.

I received my M.S. in Pattern Recognition and Intelligent Systems from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), where my thesis focused on CNN-based visual place recognition. My B.E. is also from HUST.

Beyond work

A few other things that make me, me:

• Indie dev on the side — building my own games, apps, and tools around small problems worth solving, with the quiet belief that good products can make life a little better.
• A sucker for stories in any form — novels, films, TV series, games — and slowly writing a novel of my own.
• Always plotting the next trip. Life is a collection of experiences; I want to collect as many people, stories, and skylines as possible — from this planet outward.
• Latiao (辣条), my Maltese, who is small, fluffy, and fully in charge of the household.

For more details, see my CV, GitHub, or LinkedIn.