A new patent filed by EA could potentially speed up bug-fixing in the future, helping developers refine games more quickly. While it's not hard to imagine all sorts of games that could benefit from such a system, a prime candidate is Cyberpunk 2077, which many deemed virtually unplayable at launch due to its excess bugs.
When it first launched, fans derided Cyberpunk 2077 for two main reasons. For one, the game's story and world did not match the dynamic nonlinear storytelling many had expected. While Cyberpunk 2077 does offer a secret ending, the path to reach it is unintuitive, and player choice has less impact on the range of ending choices than many had expected. The second reason was the enormous number of glitches players faced when going through the game. From hourly crashes to bizarre NPC behavior and softlocks, almost everyone who played the game encountered some unintentional obstacles
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EA's patent regards bug detection "in real time." As a player tests a glitchy game, the technology could record gameplay footage and the player's control inputs. This would make it easy for developers to identify when bugs take place, and how player input had an impact on the game's stability. This could help games like Cyberpunk 2077, seeing as Sony removed the game from its store pending a more stable build.
In games of almost any kind, identifying bugs based on player reports can be challenging. Without any footage from the player's game session, developers need to try replicating the bugs themselves, which can get frustrating. This doesn't take into account the challenges that might occur when troubleshooting games like Pokemon Go, where the player's geographical location plays a role in the experience. If developers cannot get a snapshot of players' exact location and other key attributes, they may be left guessing what exactly went wrong.
EA has put out a number of additional patents that could help Cyberpunk 2077 and all kinds of other games. For example, a recent patent would allow players to start streaming games they are currently downloading, transitioning from the streaming version to the downloaded version once installation is complete. This could at least let players jump into the game right away when they download it, starting off their experiences on a good note.
Of course, it's worth noting that EA does not own nor publish CD Projekt Red's games like Cyberpunk 2077. Even if EA were to bring the new patent to life, it wouldn't help Cyberpunk 2077 directly. A recent cyber-attack that stole Cyberpunk 2077's source code has delayed the release of the next major patch for the game, suggesting CD Projekt Red needs to focus on security in the short term, rather than bug fixes.
Cyberpunk 2077 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in development.
Source: USPTO