Activision Patents To Generate Unique In-Game Music For Each Player

Video games from big studios like Activision have been evolving at an unprecedented rate since the last two decennia. Finding the distinctions between real-life and esthetical game visuals have now become almost impossible. Innovative wonderments like artificial intelligence have also seeped into the gaming industry. 

Modern technologies like machine learning have played a large role in amplifying the immersion of games. However, game soundtracks have remained static for the most part; they are usually programmed to play at the right moments. It is also possible for players to edit, add, and create their own music in games. 

Unfortunately, music generation has never been automated or personalized in the past due to complexities. Such a system could compose unique music for every player at specific moments, but that may change sooner than we expected.

We have stumbled upon Activision’s newly published patent that explores the idea of “Dynamically generating and modulating music based on gaming events, player profiles, and/or player reactions.” In other words, machine learning technology could create unique soundtracks that match players’ in-game context, choices, and progress.

Major Takeaway:

• Activision has recently published a patent that explores the potentiality of generating in-game music unique to each player.
• The system will utilize machine learning technology to collect various variables to compose music on the go.
• The AI generation will produce a stellar soundtrack based on context, moods, and in-game moments.
• The uniquely composed soundtrack will also increase players’ performance, giving helpful cues or amplifying the in-game moments to increase immersion.

Activision’s patent discusses the need for dynamic music generation, citing, “There is need for systems and methods that generate and modulate music unique to individual players.” The proposed method will fetch, accumulate, and calculate various in-game variables to create soundtracks that match players’ tastes and specific scenarios.

The patent by Activision also elaborates on a few instances that may determine what sort of soundtrack is composed by the system. The document states, “specific to a level of the player’s skill and/or experience, and based on one or more of gaming event(s) that a player encounters, the player’s reaction(s), the player’s response(s), the player’s input(s) and/or the player’s movement(s) during the gaming events.”

Activision’s patent describes various methods to dynamically generate music. It can examine elements like a “mood” based on player and event profiles or by modulating audio segments into various styles, among many other techniques, using machine learning models. The machine learning model can be trained to further enrich the dynamic music generation.

Such a system may also influence the “player’s success or failure during gameplay and that use the correlation to improve the player’s performance in future gameplay.” The patent talks about various instances of this, such as unique music being composed for diversely experienced players to influence their game.

Initially, the music will play due to a certain event, but it will adjust based on user experience and interaction with the virtual environment. For instance, if the system detects that a player is easily overpowering a boss, the system “dynamically modulates the music to make the experience more intense.”

And for future encounters, “the music is dynamically modulated to reflect the experience of the player by heightening the music intensity for a more engaging gameplay experience.”

The dynamic music generation will also aid the players struggling in the game. For less experienced players who struggle to take down a boss repeatedly, the system “dynamically modulates the music to make the experience less intense or provides audible leading cues when to attack the enemy or dodge an attack.”

The system will also keep track so that “the music is dynamically modulated to make the gameplay less intense or harrowing to make these encounters more enjoyable and less frustrating” in the future for newbies.

Activision’s patent also clears the fog around how dynamic music generation may enhance the experience. It cites, “By automating the process of what kind of music is being played and how the music is modulated, the video game may become more immersive, become more enjoyable and provide players with a wide variety of customizable features in order to enhance the overall user experience.”

The patent only analyzes examples of a multiplayer title to easily describe the overall prospect. However, the patent specifically states that this system can be applied to single and multiplayer titles. It states, “….this should in no way be considered limiting and that the systems and methods of the present specification are applicable for single player and offline games as well.”

Developers are continually toiling to craft ingenious mechanics for video games such as the Nemesis system by Monolith for Middle-Earth. Technical aspects like increased NPCs’ intelligence and in-game traffic have also witnessed extensive growth in the last decade.

It’s about time developers begin formulating these scientific marvels to improve in-game music generation. This patent might be the first step towards enhancing in-game soundtracks using machine learning technology. We may see AAA titles and indie games alike utilizing this system to compose unique soundtracks in the near future.

Games in genres like MMORPG, narrative story-driven, and atmospheric-heavy titles, among many others, could wholly benefit from dynamic music generation. Check out the patent to analyze the technical back-end and inner workings of this method. The scope and specifications of the proposed system may be altered in the future.

What are your thoughts about the prospect of Activision’s latest wild patent to compose your own musical experience? Do let us know your honest thoughts in the comments below.

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