A newly published Sony patent could theoretically see future PlayStation games adapting boss fights in real time based on how you deal with their moves, and I sincerely hope FromSoftware isn't listening.
As highlighted by Patentlyze (thanks, Wccftech), the patent for an "AI-adapted non-player character for video game system," AKA US-20260295429-A1, was first filed in the US last March, but was more recently published on October 1. The patent opens by stating that "as video games increase in complexity, there exists a need for continued development of more efficient rendering engines, improved real-time physics simulation techniques, and scalable systems capable of supporting increasingly detailed virtual environments and lifelike NPC interactions."
How does Sony propose doing this? Basically, collecting player data and using it to train a machine learning model to generate content that can then be incorporated into games. It suggests this could be used in several ways, including making NPCs more realistic. It mentions data related to NPCs including "emotional characteristics," suggesting they could have "voices that can shift in pitch, volume, and rhythm depending on the situation, conveying urgency, calmness, fear, aggression, warmth, encouragement, connection, and the like."
Perhaps most interesting to action game enjoyers, however, is the suggestion that this tech could be used to shape boss battles, too. The patent says that Sony could collect "data representing the player's reaction time to NPC/boss attacks or environmental hazards, the timing of their actions (e.g., attacks, defensive maneuvers, or counters), and the frequency and success rate of dodges, blocks, or parries, and the like." In addition, it mentions "boss interaction data," including attack patterns and "how often they were avoided or countered by the player," as well as the changes to their health and "the use of environmental elements."
The patent puts forth a wide range of ideas, including how the proposed machine learning could be incorporated into games – it could "generate NPC content before game play (e.g., before a video game is executed), in real-time (e.g., during execution of the video game which causes the player data and video game data to be generated), and/or after game play (e.g., after a video game is executed)," Sony says. Basically, it could work in real time, or it could not – Sony is covering its bases for both versions of that idea.
There's no denying that the concept of boss fights being able to adapt to player behavior as it happens is interesting – imagine a harder version of Elden Ring's Malenia who learns to avoid your staggering moves and uses nothing but Waterfowl Dance because she knows you can never avoid it properly. The horror.
With that said, would totally unpredictable enemies really be a good thing? When it comes to Souls games specifically, learning a boss fight and the different enemy attack patterns is a huge part of the entire process. Mastering your responses and learning from defeat after defeat is what makes those hard-won fights feel satisfying. Would you feel that same sense of progress and like you're inching closer and closer to a win if it felt like you were taking on a top-level, human fighting game player every time you went into a boss battle?
At this point, there's no telling if Sony will actually incorporate this technology at all, let alone in this specific way. I just hope Hidetaka Miyazaki takes mercy on us if it does.
