Sony files patent to allow players to own in-game assets through NFTs
Video game giant Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. has disclosed its patent to allow players to own unique in-game collectibles related to their favorite celebrities, activities and eSports champions.
The gaming conglomerate filed the patent in 2021 as a “system and method for tracking digital assets related to video games” using non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The patent, which credits Mischa Stephens, Warren Benedetto and Foley Laiyemo as inventors, was issued on November 10 and will utilize distributed ledger technology.
“In traditional video games, there is no way to distinguish a specific instance of an in-game item that a known player of the video game used to win a known tournament from any other instance of the in-game item,” said Sony, which appears to accommodate the growing eSports community.
According to the patent, the digital assets can be representations of gameplay moments of either images or video clips with a unique identifier that shows the characteristics of the created digital asset. The provenance of the asset and any changes made “can be identified in a request to update the history.”
Although the application is for a patent, a bird’s eye view shows that Sony is putting its full weight behind NFT games. The firm is looking to catch up with pacesetters such as Axie Infinity and Alien Worlds, Web 3 game firms that have taken a large chunk of market share in recent years.
Sony had previously partnered with Theta Labs to launch a collection of 3D NFTs to be used with the Sony Spatial Reality Display (SRD), an initial foray into metaverse and digital collectibles.
Japanese gaming firms are leading the NFT and metaverse charge
Several firms have signaled their intentions to enter the NFT and metaverse space by filing patents for their plans. Samsung, Visa and Mastercard are among the companies that have filed patents related to NFTs and other digital collectibles.
Gaming companies are not left out in the craze, as Japanese gaming company Konami recently announced hiring people familiar with NFTs to provide new experiences for its customers. The firm had previously released an NFT collection to mark the 35th anniversary of its popular franchise, Castlevania.
Other Japanese game companies have taken a similar path, with Bandai Namco working on its own metaverse while Square Enix and Sega are both looking to issue play-to-earn opportunities in their upcoming game titles.
See: BSV Global Blockchain Convention panel, Blockchain: Data Power-Ups and NFTs for eSports and Online Gaming
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