REMOTE RENDERING SERVER WITH BROADCASTER

• US 20170072323A1
• Filed: 09/15/2015
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: MALENFANT, Philippe
• Granted Patent: US 10,076,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/85 Providing additional services to players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/86 Watching games played by other players
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

Methods, systems, devices, and media for broadcasting a network game to a plurality of game spectators are provided. Game players are connected to a game server for participating in the network game. The game server executes a game program and generates game information for progressing the network game. A rendering server receives the game information from the game server, generates a player game screen for each of the game players, and generates a spectator game screen for the game spectators. The player game screen is transmitted to each of the game players for display by the game players. The spectator game screen is transmitted to a broadcaster, and the broadcaster transmits the spectator game screen to a display interface via a network. The display interface is accessible by each of the game spectators for viewing the spectator game screen.

Claims

1. A system for broadcasting a network game to a plurality of game spectators, the system comprising:

a game server that executes a game program and generates game information for progressing the network game, a plurality of game players being connected to the game server for participating in the network game;

a rendering server that receives the game information from the game server, generates a player game screen for each of the plurality of game players, and generates a spectator game screen for the plurality of game spectators, the player game screen being transmitted to each of the plurality of game players for display by the plurality of game players; and

a broadcaster that receives the spectator game screen from the rendering server and transmits the spectator game screen to a display interface via a network, the display interface being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators for viewing the spectator game screen.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spectator game screen is different than the player game screen of each of the plurality of game players.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein

the game information includes information of a dummy player which is not controlled by a participant in the network game, and

the rendering server generates the spectator game screen for the dummy player.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the player game screen is different for each of the plurality of game players.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the spectator game screen includes the player game screen of one of the plurality of game players.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the broadcaster transmits a stream of spectator game screens to the display interface via the network, the spectator game screens being received from the rendering server, the stream of spectator game screens being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators via the display interface for viewing the stream of spectator game screens, and

the spectator game screens of the stream comprise player game screens of at least two of the plurality of game players.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the player game screens of the at least two of the plurality of game players are displayed consecutively.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the broadcaster switches a transmission of the stream from one of the player game screens of a first of the at least two of the plurality of game players to another of the player game screens of a second of the at least two of the plurality of game players in response to a predetermined condition being satisfied in the network game.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the rendering server generates a plurality of spectator game screens for a frame of the network game and transmits the plurality of spectator game screens to the broadcaster, and

the broadcaster transmits the plurality of spectator game screens to the display interface, the display interface being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators for simultaneously viewing the plurality of game screens of the frame of the network game.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the game server transmits game data to the broadcaster, and

the broadcaster receives the game data from the game server and transmits the game data to the display interface via the network for display with the spectator game screen.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the game data comprises controller inputs of at least one of the plurality of game players.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein

the spectator game screen is different than the player game screen of each of the plurality of game players,

the broadcaster transmits the game data for one of the plurality of game players to the display interface via the network for display with the spectator game screen, and

the broadcaster transmits the game data for another of the plurality of game players to the display interface via the network for display with the spectator game screen in response to a predetermined event occurring in the network game.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the game data is accessible to less than all of the plurality of game spectators which view the spectator game screen.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein the game data comprises audio data.

15. A method for broadcasting a network game to a plurality of game spectators, the method comprising:

executing, by a game server, a game program for progressing the network game, a plurality of game players being connected to the game server for participating in the network game;

generating, by the game server, game information on a progress of the network game and transmitting the game information to a rendering server;

receiving, by the rendering server, the game information and generating a player game screen for each of the plurality of game players based on the game information, the player game screen being transmitted to each of the plurality of game players for display by the plurality of game players;

generating, by the rendering server, a spectator game screen for the plurality of game spectators and transmitting the spectator game screen to a broadcaster; and

receiving, by the broadcaster, the spectator game screen and transmitting the spectator game screen to a display interface via a network, the display interface being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators for viewing the spectator game screen.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the spectator game screen is different than the player game screen of each of the plurality of game players.

17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting, by the broadcaster, a stream of spectator game screens to the display interface via the network, the spectator game screens being received from the rendering server, the stream of spectator game screens being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators via the display interface for viewing the stream of spectator game screens,

wherein the spectator game screens of the stream comprise player game screens of at least two of the plurality of game players.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a program for broadcasting a network game to a plurality of game spectators, the program, when executed by at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

executing, by a game server, a game program for progressing the network game, a plurality of game players being connected to the game server for participating in the network game;

generating, by the game server, game information on a progress of the network game and transmitting the game information to a rendering server;

receiving, by the rendering server, the game information and generating a player game screen for each of the plurality of game players based on the game information, the player game screen being transmitted to each of the plurality of game players for display by the plurality of game players;

generating, by the rendering server, a spectator game screen for the plurality of game spectators and transmitting the spectator game screen to a broadcaster; and

receiving, by the broadcaster, the spectator game screen and transmitting the spectator game screen to a display interface via a network, the display interface being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators for viewing the spectator game screen.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the spectator game screen is different than the player game screen of each of the plurality of game players.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting, by the broadcaster, a stream of spectator game screens to the display interface via the network, the spectator game screens being received from the rendering server, the stream of spectator game screens being accessible by each of the plurality of game spectators via the display interface for viewing the stream of spectator game screens,

wherein the spectator game screens of the stream comprise player game screens of at least two of the plurality of game players.