EA Patents To Reenact Playable Moments From Recorded Gameplay Videos

EA has been patenting all the visionary concepts recently, and the latest one is targeted toward helping gamers. First spotted by VeryAli Gaming, EA has patented a reticent prospect dubbed “INTERACTIVE REENACTMENT WITHIN A VIDEO GAME,” which aims to allow players to recreate videos into playable moments in games.

The system will let users experience the videos in interactive segments, with the accurate creation and placement of objects. The patent discusses multiple in-game examples and elaborates on how the system could change how we play games.

Major Rundown

• EA has recently published a patent that will allow users to reenact instants from a video by turning them into playable moments, with the objects and their placement being accurately created.
• The patent will let users play real-life scenarios or sequences they struggle to execute—for instance, trying to play like a specific real-life basketball player by letting their moves turn into a playable moment in EA’s NBA Live 19.
• It will reportedly use machine learning models to translate the videos into playable moments in games, supporting appropriate video formats.
• The patent goes hand-in-hand with some of the company’s previous patents, attempting to turn real-life scenarios into in-game moments and patenting automated coaching systems.

EA clarifies that the “player may want to replicate an action or sequence of actions that they may have seen on TV or other video clip. However, the player may not have the skills, or otherwise the ability, to replicate the action or sequence of actions that they want to reenact or have reenacted in the video game.”

The patent intends to solve the dilemma by allowing players to experience those videos as in-game playable moments.” A video reenactment system and method analyze a video clip that a video game player wishes to reenact and maps objects and actions within the video clip to virtual objects and virtual actions within the video game.”

“The mechanism for reenacting video clips in a video game, as disclosed herein, involves identifying objects in the video clip and mapping them to objects or assets in the video game, and further, mapping actions in the video clip to actions in the video game.”

EA’s proposed system will recognize objects in the video clip, map them to objects or assets present in the video game, and map segments in the video clip to segments in the video game. The moments can be interactive and fully portray the creation and placement of in-game objects to match the video clips.

The reenactment can involve any in-game items, including “avatars, weapons, buildings, etc.,” similar to video items, emulating the actions of the video inside the game. The videos can originate from any source, “such as television, streaming media, video clips from social media, personally recorded video clips, etc.”

EA gives several game examples, mentioning NBA Live 19 and Sims 4. A player may want to reenact a sequence of actions done by a professional basketball player inside the game “(e.g., NBA LIVE 19 by ELECTRONIC ARTS).

In the video clip chosen by the player, “a first player may rebound a ball on the defensive end and make a long pass to another player at the offensive end who dunks the basketball.” A “video translation model associated with this basketball video game” will analyze and calculate the video.

It further reads, “Using the video translation model, a first object (e.g., the first player in the basketball video clip) may be mapped to a first virtual object (e.g., a virtual first player) in the basketball video game. Similarly, the second player in the basketball video clip may be mapped to a second virtual player in the basketball video game. Other objects may also be identified, such as other players, the basketball, the coach on the sideline, etc.,“

The player can take over the reenactment anytime during the process and control various aspects like, “the player may wish to control the actions of the second virtual basketball player. The player may want to change, for example, what the second virtual basketball player does.”

Furthermore, interactive segments can be experienced as many times as the user wishes, “a player may commence a sequence of actions of a reenactment and at some point within the reenactment may wish to take over in controlling the actions within the video game prior to the conclusion of all of the sequence of actions of the reenactment.”

The patent mainly focuses on the gaming aspect of the proposed system, but broader possibilities are also briefly discussed, including VR and AR implementation. The system “may be applied to any suitable type of virtual and/or interactive experience, video editing, computer generated graphics/video, virtual and/or augmented reality, video calling, etc.”

Complex trick shots in Apex Legends will become a thing of the past if the method is implemented. However, it may take the fun away by draining all the hard work and manual training required to get good at games. The AI will automate the system and let players recreate every video clip into games as long as it’s supported.

For instance, it would be impossible to dribble a ball into war-ridden maps of Battlefield 2042 and carry a machine gun into a FIFA 23 tournament.

Moreover, the patent discusses the possibility of any client system, including PCs and consoles. In other words, we could see many of EA’s games, regardless of platforms, utilize the proposed method to convert videos into playable in-game moments.

Electronic Arts is exploring revolutionary concepts; it recently published a patent to produce an automated coaching system to aid struggling players. Moreover, the company is also tinkering with dubious ideas, for instance, punishing players for teaming up with enemy team members. 

What are your thoughts about EA patenting various ideas to ease game playability for players? If introduced, do you think this system will benefit players in sporting or other games? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.

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