New PlayStation patent could drastically speed up game development time

Localizing games into a wide array of languages is no small endeavor. Seeking to expedite the process, a newly publicized Sony patent has unearthed a translation tool that could drastically speed up the game development pipeline.

For the average Western gamer, you sit down, boot up a game, and enjoy its default English approach. But what about the millions of gamers elsewhere in the world? Getting the same experience in their hands can be a herculean task requiring translators, localization experts, voice actors, and plenty more additional manpower.

Take Cyberpunk 2077 as a prime example. Of the 5,381 developers listed in the game’s credits, 2,456 of them, over 45%, were part of localization efforts, as Polygon revealed earlier this year.

Almost every game goes through a similarly meticulous process, varying based on the scope of a game and how many languages it’s been translated into. As such, for the biggest and most popular titles, it’s a monstrous project that can take many months or years.

Looking to smoothen out the process somewhat, Sony has plans for a new form of software that could smoothen it all out. A 2023 patent filing was published on March 5, 2025, as Tech4Gamers discovered, and it could be a game-changer for the development of future games.

Sony patents ‘next-gen lip-sync’ system

As it stands today, developers have to sift through lines of dialogue, check for inaccuracies in lip-syncing, and then reanimate facial movement if time and budget permits. New software from Sony could expedite the process.

In essence, the patent describes a system – referred to as a ‘Translation Language Evaluation Device’ – that evaluates NPC mouth movements across a range of languages. The software gives a similarity score, so localization developers know which areas are lacking and which areas have held up through the translation process.

Should the end result be off the mark, the tool can help with minor adjustments to facial animations, possibly automating or at the very least, streamlining hours of lip-sync work. In theory, it can help automatically make NPC mouth movements look more accurate and natural upon translation to any other language.

If you’ve ever played a game in a different language, or even some English versions of games with poor lip-syncing, you’ll know all too well how much of a deterrent it can be.

Voices not lining up to expressions can be incredibly jarring, and as Sony said in the patent filing, can make “the player or the viewer feel uncomfortable.”

Obviously, countless patents are filed by corporations every year. Sony themselves have sought to patent rewind features, controls with squeezable inputs, and plenty more in between.

Not all of them see the light of day, and there’s no guarantee this translation tool will either. But should it make it out of the conceptual stage, it could prove to be a significant help in speeding up game development pipelines.