Interactive gameplay playback system

• US 10,226,708 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 03/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Electronic Arts Incorporated
• Inventors: Bruzzo, Christopher Loren, Rohart, Arthur Francois Marie, Bateren, Oghene Fejiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Application Number:
  US15/199,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20180001216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/332 using wireless networks, e.g. cellular phone networks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/335 using Internet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/35 Details of game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players

Abstract

The disclosure provides a video playback system for use within a game application and/or other interactive computing environments. The video playback system can be used to capture gameplay during execution of a game application. The captured gameplay video can be processed and stored within the game application or in a network accessible location.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

computer hardware configured with specific computer-executable instructions to execute a game application, the game application configured to;

receive input to initiate a second instance of a game application concurrently with a first instance of the game application, wherein the first instance of the game application is executing on a broadcast computing system, wherein a first virtual entity is controlled by a broadcast user associated with the broadcast computing system within the first instance;

load the game application on the computing system;

determine a game identifier associated with the first instance of the game application based, at least in part, on the input received to initiate the second instance;

determine a first gameplay state associated with the first instance of the game application based, at least in part, on the game identifier of the first instance;

generate the first gameplay state within the second instance of the game application, wherein the generated gameplay state of the second instance operates concurrently with a gameplay state of the first instance, wherein a second virtual entity is controlled by a user associated with the computing system within the second instance;

generate instructions to execute the generated gameplay state within the second instance of the game application on the computing system; and

generate a representation of a state of the first virtual entity within the second instance of the game application based at least in part on the first gameplay state.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the gameplay state of the second instance is synchronized in real-time with the gameplay state of the first instance.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first virtual entity associated with the first instance is in a first virtual environment and a second virtual entity associated with the second instance is in a second virtual environment.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the representation of the state displays the position of the first virtual entity within the second virtual environment.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the game application is further configured to update the position of the representation of the first virtual entity within the second virtual environment in real-time.

6. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the game application is further configured to display a representation of the position of a plurality of virtual entities from different virtual environments within the second virtual environment.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the game application is further configured to communicate with a host application computing system to determine the gameplay state of the first instance.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is a network based system, wherein the computing system is configured to stream the game application to remote computing system, wherein the input to initiate the second instance of the game application is received from the remote computing system.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

as implemented by a computing system configured with specific computer-executable instructions,

receiving input to initiate a second instance of a game application concurrently with a first instance of the game application, wherein the first instance of the game application is executing on a broadcast computing system wherein a first virtual entity is controlled by a broadcast user associated with the broadcast computing system within the first instance;

loading the game application on the computing system;

determining a game identifier associated with the first instance of the game application based, at least in part, on the input received to initiate the second instance;

determining a first gameplay state associated with the first instance of the game application based, at least in part, on the game identifier of the first instance;

generating the first gameplay state within the second instance of the game application, wherein the generated gameplay state of the second instance operates concurrently with a gameplay state of the first instance, wherein a second virtual entity is controlled by a user associated with the computing system within the second instance;

generating instructions to execute the generated gameplay state within the second instance of the game application on the computing system; and

generating a representation of a state of the first virtual entity within the second instance of the game application based at least in part on state data associated with the first virtual entity and generated during the concurrent operation of the first instance.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising synchronizing the gameplay state of the second instance with the gameplay state of the first instance.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first virtual entity associated with the first instance is in a first virtual environment and the second virtual entity associated with the second instance is in a second virtual environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating a representation of the state of the first virtual entity further comprises displaying the position of the first virtual entity within the second virtual environment.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising updating the representation of the position of the first virtual entity within the second virtual environment in real-time.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising displaying a representation of the position of a plurality of virtual entities from different virtual environments within the second virtual environment.

15. The method of claim 9 further comprising communicating with a host application computing system to determine the gameplay state of the first instance.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising streaming the game application to a remote computing system, wherein the input to initiate the second instance of the game application is received from the remote computing system.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to execute a game application, the game application configured to:

receive input to initiate a second instance of a game application concurrently with a first instance of the game application, wherein the first instance of the game application is executing on a broadcast computing system, wherein the first instance includes a first virtual entity controlled by a broadcast user associated with the broadcast computing system;

load the game application on the computing system;

determine a game identifier associated with the first instance of the game application based, at least in part, on the input received to initiate the second instance;

determine a first gameplay state associated with the first instance of the game application based, at least in part, on the game identifier of the first instance;

generate the first gameplay state within the second instance of the game application, wherein the generated gameplay state of the second instance operates concurrently with a gameplay state of the first instance, wherein the second instance includes a second virtual entity controlled by a user associated with the computing system;

generate instructions to execute the generated gameplay state within the second instance of the game application on the computing system; and

generate a representation of a state of the first virtual entity within the second instance of the game application based at least in part on state data associated with the first virtual entity and generated during the concurrent operation of the first instance.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first virtual entity associated with the first instance is in a first virtual environment and the second virtual entity associated with the second instance is in a second virtual environment.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the representation of the state displays the position of the virtual entity within the second virtual environment.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the game application is further configured to update the position of the representation of the virtual entity within the second virtual environment in real-time.