One of the best aspects of a game, if done right, is the ability to customize your characters. Some games even allow you to customize your items such as armor, weapons, accessories etc. We have seen amazing things done with customization mechanics, the most recent example being Dragon's Dogma 2 character creator that allows you to go nuts - even create Bully Maguire, Kanye West, and Gandalf if you want to; it is that detailed.
Now, I have found a new tech patent filed by Sony Interactive Entertainment that might revolutionize how we interact with character creators and other customization mechanics such as NPC vendors, crafting etc.
There is a lot of technical details in the patent so let me explain one of its possible use cases as simply as I can.
Imagine you're playing a video game and you have the option to create a unique character or item. Traditionally, you might use sliders or pre-set options to adjust the look of your character or item.
Instead of fiddling with sliders, you could describe what you want in words. For example, you might type "I want a shiny blue armor that glows in the dark with dragon scales," and the game would understand that.
The game takes your description and uses sophisticated AI to turn your words into a 3D model. It's like telling a story to the game, and the game creates a visual from your story.
This would mean that the items or characters you create are more personal. No one else in the game would have exactly the same thing because it came from your imagination.
One part of the patent talks about an Accuracy Model which indicates that if you don't like something about your creation, you might be able to change it (of course) just by describing what you want differently. The game would adapt the item or character on the fly.
This technology can make games feel more immersive and personal. Your choices in the game would have a direct impact on the game world, making you feel more connected to the game.
Reading through the patent it is quite clear that some sort of generative AI will be used for this technology. Since AI is all the rage right now, it's not surprising to see it bleeding into game development.
There is a social aspect to this that allows you to share your creations with the other players. At least very least it'll allow you share generated items with other players in a multiplayer game.
Now, the example of the buy button you need in the patent document is a strong confirmation that these in-game items won't be free. You'll have to spend in-game currency to buy them which makes sense but worst-case scenario, real money. But I hope that's not the case, the backlash over such a thing would kill any game even before it hits the shelves.
Disclaimer: Patents are filed on all the time but that doesn't mean their particular tech will ever be used in the field. Now, seeing this patent and how AI is quickly taking over many industries, I see some form of application of this tech in future Sony games. Whether that'll be on PS5 or PS6 remains to be seen.
