Sony Bend’s Unannounced PS4 Game to Include “Complex Human AI Behaviors;” Based on Unreal Engine

Giuseppe Nelva April 5, 2014 11:32 AM EST

During the launch ceremony of the PS4, SCE Worldwide Studios President Shuhei Yoshida teased an unannounced PS4 project by Sony’s Oregon-based Bend Studio, but nothing was announced about it since, and the project is being kept closely under wraps.

Today an interesting career opportunity ad has been published by Sony, looking for a Senior AI Programmer for the Bend studio, and it gives us some very interesting information on said game:

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We are looking for an AI Programmer to help develop complex Human AI Behaviors for a current working title being developed by Bend Studio.

This is not an entry level position and applicant must be able to demonstrate current working knowledge in the field of AI development for recent game applications. This role is closely related to both a physics and animation engineer.

Responsibilities

Key contributor to the development of state-of-the-art AI systems and behaviors, including path-finding, behavior execution, and autonomous decision making.

Develop robust and reusable AI frameworks that can be managed and used for implementation by design staff.

Maintaining a strong collaborative work relationship with fellow programmer and design staff.

Qualifications

Key Skills

Strong 3D Math skills.

Strong C++ and software engineering skills.

Working knowledge of current AI architectures and algorithms.

Strong interest in researching and developing new AI related technologies.

Preferred Skills & Experience

Current and Next Gen game console experience strongly desired.

Strong understanding and familiarity with current UNREAL technology desired.

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The preference for a candidate with current and next gen console experience identifies the PS4 project, as it’s quite unlikely that it would be mentioned to work on PS Vita (besides, Sony Bend isn’t a big studio, counting about 40 developers, so it’s unlikely for them to be working on multiple projects at the same time), while the part about “strong understanding and familiarity” with Unreal technology gives us a clear hint on what engine the game will use.

Of course the most relevant part is about the “complex Human AI Behaviors” and “state-of-the-art AI systems and behaviors, including path-finding, behavior execution, and autonomous decision making.”

Now, if we can delve for a moment in the realm of pure speculation, that kind of description seems just perfect for a stealth-action game, and you probably already know that Sony Bend developed the Syphon Filter series since its inception when the studio was still named Eidetic. A Sony developer also name-dropped the series’ protagonist Gabriel Logan lately, while it was definitely a vague statement.

Of course that’s far from iron-clad, but I’m surely not the only one that would love to see a return of the Syphon Filter franchise with all the bells and whistles on PS4. Will we hear more at E3?