A Sony patent filed in May of this year reveals that the publisher either has been or may in the future utilize drone swarms to capture landscape data for some of its games. While the specific uses for this technology aren’t laid out, mapping landscapes via drones could certainly aid in the development of big-budget titles that make use of real-world locations. Titles such as The Last of Us and its sequel likely would have benefited from this tech, but it could also be applied to outings like God of War Ragnarok and the rumored PS5 remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn.
From new systems meant to improve facial animations to out-of-left-field technologies that could allow players to communicate through haptic vibrations, Sony has filed more than a few interesting patents in the recent past. The new console generation has likely unlocked a plethora of new possibilities for game developers, and the publisher seems eager to create proprietary technology to ensure its titles stand head-and-shoulders above the competition.
Sony’s drone swarm patent could potentially be paired with modern photogrammetry techniques to create in-game environments that boast an unparalleled level of realism. The patent also describes a method that will allow each drone to filter the others out of the photos it takes, thereby further streamlining the process of mapping out an environment. On the whole, while it probably won’t be applicable to every game developed by a first-party Sony studio, the technology is likely to make the process of creating authentic outdoor environments much easier.
As the AAA development process continues to balloon as technologies improve, innovations such as these can help to save time without sacrificing a project’s quality. In the recent past, certain Naughty Dog games have been hindered by developer crunch, and, while it’s seemingly a small step, Sony’s new patent could potentially help to alleviate the burden placed on some studios. That may not have been the primary goal of this new patent, but any technology that can help overcome crunch culture is significant.
Upcoming PS5 exclusive titles like Forspoken are already taking advantage of the proprietary benefits of Sony’s hardware, and it could be that, behind the scenes, Sony’s first-party studios are making use of patented tech like this to make the development process as smooth as possible. While this new process isn’t necessarily going to ignite a AAA game development revolution, it’s creative new concepts such as these that, little by little, serve to advance the medium as a whole.