Overview
AR Company is the fictional organization that is the narrative framing device of inZOI. It is not a playable employer or career destination within the game world. Instead, AR Company exists outside the simulation as the virtual reality management firm where the player character works. The premise of the game frames the player as a new intern at AR Company, tasked with observing and influencing the lives of Zois across virtual environments.
Employees at AR Company help Zois "live their best lives" by managing their decisions, monitoring karma scores, and maintaining overall stability in the virtual cities. The Zois themselves are the simulated inhabitants of the worlds that AR Company oversees.
Staff
AR Company is staffed by a mix of human employees and cat colleagues. The player interacts with several of these characters through the AR Talk menu and tutorial sequences.
Character | Role | Description |
|---|---|---|
Bora | Intern (Player Character) | The new recruit at AR Company. The player assumes Bora's role as a Creator tasked with influencing the lives of Zois. |
Supervisor | A lilac bi-colour Ragdoll cat who is the player's main guide and mentor. The name is a portmanteau of "psyche" and "cat." Psycat provides guidance through the AR Talk menu and Build Mode tutorials. | |
Henri | Human Resource Manager | Handles onboarding for new employees at AR Company. |
Cupid | Colleague | A cat colleague described as "one of the kindest colleagues" at the company. Cupid reportedly has romantic feelings toward Psycat. |
Zeno | CEO | The chief executive of AR Company. Zeno was previously available as a contact in the AR Talk menu but was removed in the Early Access version. |
Role in Gameplay
AR Company provides the conceptual framework for why the player can control and observe Zois. Rather than breaking the fourth wall directly, the game positions the player as an AR Company employee using advanced virtual reality technology to manage simulated lives. This framing device explains the god-like perspective and intervention abilities that the player has over the game world.
Creator Role: As an AR Company intern, the player assumes the title of "Creator," responsible for guiding Zois through life decisions
AR Talk: A communication system that connects the player to AR Company staff. Psycat uses this channel to provide tips and tutorial guidance.
Karma System: AR Company monitors the moral outcomes of Zoi interactions, tracking karma scores that affect gameplay
Narrative Context
The game's title "inZOI" refers to the virtual world that AR Company has created and manages. "Zoi" comes from the Greek word for "life," and the inhabitants of this simulated world are called Zois. The player's job at AR Company is to ensure these virtual lives proceed smoothly, though players have the freedom to intervene in both positive and negative ways.
AR Company's narrative presence is primarily felt during the early game tutorial and through periodic Psycat interactions. As players become more experienced, the framing device fades into the background, and the focus shifts entirely to managing and experiencing the lives of individual Zois.
Not a Playable Employer
Even with its prominence in the game's story, AR Company is not an in-game employer that Zois can work for. It exists outside the simulation layer. Zois cannot apply for jobs at AR Company, and no career path is associated with it. For a full list of playable employers and careers, see the Jobs and Careers article.
Tips
Pay attention to Psycat's messages through the AR Talk menu, especially during the early game, as they contain useful tutorial information
The AR Company framing explains why Build Mode and life management tools exist in the game's universe
Zeno and some other AR Company features from pre-release versions were removed or simplified for Early Access