Sony patents virtual crowds that mimic real-world audience movements
Sony describes a system that fills virtual event venues with non-player characters (NPCs) that copy the movements of real people. The technology allows groups of these digital characters to move in different patterns to simulate a live audience or performers.
In the filing’s own words
An information processing device includes a non-player character (NPC) placement section configured for placing, at a venue for an event in a virtual space, a NPC as a participant in the event, and a NPC control section configured for controlling the NPC to perform movements that mimic movements of a participant in the event corresponding to a person in a real world. The participant in the event may be one of a performer of the event, an avatar of the performer, an audience member, and an avatar of the audience member. The NPC placement section may place a plurality of NPCs to control a first portion of the NPCs to move in a first pattern while a second portion of the NPCs move in a second pattern different from the first pattern. The first portion may be greater than the second portion.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An information processing device comprising: a non-player character placement section configured for placing, at a venue for an event in a virtual space, a non-player character as a participant in the event; and a non-player character control section configured for controlling the non-player character to perform movements that mimic movements of a participant in the event corresponding to a person in a real world.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.)
- Official title
- INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM
- Publication number
- US20260315927A1
- Application number
- 19484924
- Filed
- May 16, 2023
- Published
- Oct 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 10
Classified under
A63F 13/56 Human necessitiesA63F 13/65 Human necessitiesMore from Sony in Games & media
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.