Stuck in Marvel’s Wolverine? Sony’s New Patented ‘AI-Generated Ghost Player’ Will Beat it For You

Are you looking forward to first-party PlayStation games like Marvel's Wolverine? Ever wanted a game to just play itself, while you put the controller down and just watch the trophies roll in? If you hear that and wonder, 'Well, what's the point of playing the game in the first place?' then you're having the same reaction to Sony's new 'AI-generated Ghost Player' patent that most of the internet seems to be having. If you think that sounds like a great way to enjoy a game, then this patent seems to be made specifically for you.

Spotted by VGC, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published the filing publicly this week after it was initially filed by Sony back in September 2024. The patent describes a "ghost player" appearing as an "overlay" to show the player how to complete a section of the game they're having trouble with.

"During live gameplay by a player, game state data is analyzed in order to identify a scenario occurring in the context of the gameplay of the player. The scenario occurring during the live gameplay can then be processed by the Al model and an assistance Al engine in order to provide a ghost character with control inputs for animation/control to guiding the player in relevant interactivity of the game," the filing reads. "The relevant interactivity is for the context of the gameplay of the player, not just some prior gameplay of another player. The ghost character can therefore be controlled by the assistance Al engine during gameplay and provide the player with visual illustrations of how certain game scenarios are played in order for the character controlled by the player to be able to achieve progress in the game."

The filing also describes different modes for players to pick from. The 'Guide Mode' would show you the solution to whatever is troubling you in the game you're playing, like a puzzle in Uncharted or God of War. Whereas 'Complete Mode' would just do it for you, so you can move progress further in the game and not have to deal with that section.

Sony already has help systems built into the PS5's console software, with its Tips and Game Help system that lets players get increasingly more detailed hints as to how they complete a section of the game, with the most detailed hint simply telling the player what they need to do. It only works when developers opt into including those hints, but when they're there, they can be helpful to players who don't want to reach for their phone or laptop to look up a guide.

Players already complain when NPC allies give you the answer to a puzzle before you've had the chance to solve it yourself. It doesn't sound like this AI-generated Ghost Player would jump the gun and show you a solution before you ask for one, but going as far as to beat the section for you seems like a stretch too far for anyone who actually wants to enjoy the games they buy.

Of course, it is just a patent, so we may never see this actually implemented. But based on the reaction players had to Microsoft's Gaming Copilot introduction last year, and even the idea that an AI is helping you and watching you play, this doesn't seem like the kind of thing players want to have available to them.

You can always look up a handy guide, or, of course, just try and figure it out for yourself. No one likes getting frustrated when playing a game, and getting stuck is not a good feeling. Sometimes that frustration is what makes you stop playing a game entirely. But where's the fun in watching the game play itself?

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