"Wolf Games: AI-Driven Murder Mysteries Backed by 'Law & Order' Creator"

Elliot Wolf, the executive producer and son of "Law & Order" mastermind Dick Wolf, is diving into a fresh project that's all about captivating true crime buffs.

Together with co-founders Andrew Adashek, who's steering the ship as CEO, and Noah Rosenberg, the tech wizard as CTO, they're rolling out Wolf Games. This new startup is all about using AI to churn out daily murder mystery games. And guess what? They just bagged a cool $4 million in their seed funding round, announced on Wednesday.

Their main attraction, Public Eye, taps into the craze among true crime fans who just can't get enough of playing detective.

Set in a not-too-distant dystopian future where crime's through the roof, Public Eye has law enforcement leaning on the public for help. Players dive into gathering clues, piecing together evidence, and teaming up with an AI sidekick that nudges them along and drops hints to crack the case.

But coming up with fresh murder mysteries day in and day out? That's no small feat. Wolf Games uses an AI engine to help their writers whip up new cases like nobody's business.

The AI pulls inspiration from headlines splashed across big news outlets like CBS and NBC. Much like "Law & Order," a legendary true crime drama that's been on the air forever, Wolf Games says their game stories are mostly made-up, just sparked by these real-life headlines, not lifted straight from them.

AI doesn't stop at story creation; it's also behind generating interview clips and crime scene photos.

"In a single click, we take this linear story and make it fully interactive and playable," Elliot told TechCrunch. He also mentioned that they're using top-notch AI models like Gemini to keep the characters consistent 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," Elliot explained.

The true crime gaming scene is pretty crowded, but the founders reckon their know-how will help them pull in a big crowd.

The investors backing them up are no slouches either. The pre-seed round saw contributions from Dick Wolf himself, Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine, and United Talent Agency's Chairman Paul Wachter.

Public Eye is set to hit the web this summer. It's free to play, with the option to buy extras in-app, but you'll need to hop on a waitlist to get in on the action.

Looking ahead, Wolf Games is thinking about teaming up with IP holders to turn TV shows into new games.

It's worth pointing out that Hollywood bigwigs keep jumping into the AI startup game, even after the 2023 strikes where AI was a hot-button issue. The Oscar-winning flick "The Brutalist" got flak for using an AI voice tool.

But even as the entertainment world wrestles with what AI means for the future, more and more celebs—like Ashton Kutcher and will.i.am—are pouring money into AI ventures, eager to tap into its potential for entertainment.