Elliot Wolf, the executive producer and son of “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf, is entering a new venture aimed at engaging true crime fans.
He, along with co-founders Andrew Adashek (CEO) and Noah Rosenberg (CTO), are developing Wolf Games, a new startup that leverages AI to generate daily murder mystery games. The company also announced on Wednesday its $4 million seed funding round.
Wolf Games’ flagship title is called Public Eye and capitalizes on the growing interest among true crime enthusiasts who often love to play detective.
Public Eye is set in a dystopian future where crime rates have skyrocketed to the point where law enforcement thinks asking the public for assistance is a smart idea. Players gather clues, piece together evidence, and enlist the help of an AI assistant, which guides them through investigations and offers hints to help solve the crime.
However, creating new murder mysteries for players to solve on a daily basis is a tall order. To tackle this, Wolf Games leverages an AI engine that helps the team of writers whip up new cases.
The AI draws inspiration from headlines published by major news sources such as CBS and NBC. Similar to “Law & Order,” one of the longest-running true crime dramas in TV history, the company says that the stories in the game are primarily fictional and are inspired by these headlines rather than copied directly.
In addition to story creation, AI is also used to generate interview clips and photos of crime scenes.
“In a single click, we take this linear story and make it fully interactive and playable,” Wolf told TechCrunch, adding that top AI models like Gemini are used to ensure character consistency throughout the story.
“If a character gets a scar on their face halfway through the story, every time that character appears, they’ll have the scar,” Wolf explained.
We tested the game ourselves, where we attempted to solve the murder of a store owner. The suspects included a sketchy intern, a drunken boyfriend, and a fed-up daughter. For a story mostly generated by AI, it was surprisingly OK and even had an unexpected twist at the end. (It’s worth noting that it’s hard to go wrong with a true crime story, considering the abundance of real-life events that can inspire dramatic storylines.)
The true crime genre of games is highly competitive, but the founders think they have the expertise to garner a significant audience.
The caliber of the investors also tells a compelling story. The pre-seed round included participation from Dick Wolf, Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine, and United Talent Agency Chairman Paul Wachter.
Public Eye launches on the web this summer. It’ll be free to play with optional in-app purchases; you’ll need to join a waitlist if you want to give it a shot.
In the future, Wolf Games is considering working with IP holders to adapt TV shows into new games.
It’s notable that Hollywood executives continue to launch AI startups, especially considering the 2023 strikes where the use of AI was a contentious issue. The Oscar-winning film “The Brutalist” is the latest example of a production that faced backlash from viewers for its use of an AI voice tool.
However, despite the industry grappling with the implications of AI, a growing number of celebrities — such as Ashton Kutcher and will.i.am — are investing in AI ventures, indicating a desire to harness this technology for entertainment.
