Games’ loading screens might be the next victim of ads with this new Sony patent

A new patent has just cropped up from Sony on the Justia patents list. With the title of ‘Delivery of Alternate Content During Video Game Wait Times,’ the new technology looks like it can play other media during loading screens. Of course, alternative media can be interpreted in different ways, but the biggest worry is the display of advertisements.

With the rising costs of hardware, including RAM and storage, even the price of consoles would have to increase. Nintendo already announced its plan to raise the Switch 2 MSRP, and unless Sony plans to do the same with the PlayStation, it might be looking for alternative ways to make more money or fill those silences.

So while you’re loading up Spider-Man or waiting in a Call of Duty lobby, you might be displaying some alternative media instead of the game.

Filed back in November of 2024, the publication was just a few days ago. It does have quite a detailed explanation of the technology. Firstly, it plans on using LLMs and AI to actually implement this alternate content. Mainly so it’s less jarring; it does actually have some thought on the user experience.

With it being able to adjust the content to the downtime, rather than running a set length. Learning the expected loading time, it will be known roughly how long to play it for, or if it needs to be cut short, it will be faded out instead. That way, you don’t miss out on the start of your game.

There is a suggestion that it could also display your other media, like a YouTube video. But the cynic in me does expect to see those filled with ads instead.