It looks like Activision isn’t the only one patenting AIs that will promote a form of microtransactions to people that need help, insofar that Sony has filed for a new patent following along the same path. Yes, besides the AI suggesting different tips to get past a part in a game that has a player stumped, Sony’s new patent will also suggest DLC, loot boxes, and other paid content too.

I should note that when a company files for a patent, it doesn’t mean it will be awarded to that company. And even if the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) does grant Sony said patent, it doesn’t mean that the company will use it right away — say for something like the PS4 or PS5.

But should WIPO grant Sony the patent or if the latter company decides to use it, you can expect the following to take place:

“There may be an in-game resource of the game environment that could aid the user in accomplishing the objective with the character. The in-game resource may be downloadable content (DLC), add-ons, upgrades, items, tips, strategy, communal data, etc. However, the user is not necessarily aware that such a resource exists.”

If none of the above makes any sense to you, website hyperxgaming.com has a layman summary on what this AI patent has to offer Sony players:

“Sony has filed a patent for a system to help you beat bosses you’re stuck on by giving you hints and pointing you towards microtransactions.

 

A brief overview of the “In-game resource surfacing platform” outlines a language processing system that identifies an objective in the game you’re stuck with and finds relevant solutions, including if there is DLC or other items available in the game’s store.

 

Drawings that accompany the patent show on-screen prompts giving you advice about which move to use in 2018’s God of War to beat a boss.”

The website also notes that offering items to purchase is just one of the many outcomes of the “complex surfacing platform” Sony is describing in the patent.

In addition to the above, this AI system can “identify what skills or items a majority of players have acquired” and can use the internet for guides alongside player data to assist those in need.

All of the aforesaid can be seen in the below image:

After the image depicting how the patent works, one of the dumbest things ever written is detailed by Sony:

“While both the range of in-game items as well as the number of game titles has steadily increased over the years, the methodology players use to find suitable or effective items for making progress within a game has not kept pace.

 

[0003] For example, a player generally must rely on a combination of trial and error, guesswork, and research such as by asking a friend when deciding on which item, add-on, or upgrade to obtain in order to achieve a goal. Even then, the player may have to experiment with a number of items, add-ons, and/or upgrades, before arriving at one that is most effective for their particular objective, character, style of play, etc. Thus, there is currently a disconnect between players and the resources available to them within a game, and more particularly those resources most suitable for the individual player’s circumstances, character, and playstyle. When players become frustrated with their repeated failures to accomplish some objective, there is a higher likelihood that the player will quit the game and not experience the totality of what the game is intended to offer. There is thus a need and a benefit to develop and integrate an in-game platform to match players with those resources that are most likely to help them succeed in view of the player’s playstyle and behavior both within the game in question as well as across a plurality of additional games the player participates in.”

In other words, Sony will pretty much cover the mistakes of poor game design, lack of descriptions for items, terrible UI, broken objectives, or other important things without info that will frustrate a player with this AI system.

In other words, if you need an item to progress through — let’s say a looter-shooter, but there’s no way to find in-game information on this item that has a 1% drop chance — then this AI system will either offer information that should have been in the game from the start or will lead you to a paid option.

Lastly, we’ll see if Sony will be awarded the patent, and if so, if it will annoy people trying to game in peace or make big money from the naïve.