- Sony is once again exploring NFTs.
- The entertainment company has filed a patent for NFTs in its games and consoles.
While the NFT sector stays in limbo from the effects of the previous crypto winter, Sony seeks to warm things up by exploring the technology again. In a new patent filing, the entertainment company is keen on laying a solid framework for NFTs in its games and consoles.
A Solid Framework
On 16th March 2023, Sony Interactive Entertainment published a patent titled “NFT Framework for Transferring and Using Digital Assets Between Games Platforms.” In the new filing, Sony explores a framework for using NFTs cross-generationally and cross-platform, including consoles made by Microsoft or Nintendo, VR headsets, AR headsets, PCs, and more.
The technology giant explores numerous use cases, such as NFT-locked gameplay, limited-use in-game tasks, and more. The patent filing shows the company’s enthusiasm for introducing a solid NFT framework that allows gamers to obtain or transfer ownership using digital assets, including other perks.
The document states that current systems are technologically inadequate for players to use their assets across different games and platforms. However, NFTs could enhance a game’s functionality by enabling gamers to use the asset and transfer its rights to others exclusively.
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Moreover, the patent proposes a system that rewards select players via NFTs. For example, gamers who first beat a particular level can earn a special NFT that grants them in-game perks or unlocks exclusive in-game items.
Sony’s new filing also discusses allowing players to transfer their in-game progress to someone else via NFTs. New owners can then pick off where the previous owner last left the game with the same items, points, and level.
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The company is also interested in introducing NFTs to cross-platform esports, rewarding winners with special NFTs or even “blockchain-based currency” for different tournament brackets. The patent enthuses using those NFTs to “buy in” to play the tournament’s next round or transfer it to another player who wishes to continue playing.
It’s important to note that it’s unclear how Sony plans to implement what it proposes in its filing. However, it’s clear the company has its sights set on adopting Web3.
On the Flipside
- In the previous patent, Sony proposed to tokenize in-game digital assets, including cosmetics, gameplay moments, and stats.
- According to the last patent, Sony shared that it intends to utilize features inherent to NFTs without using blockchain networks’ authentication process. The entertainment company could again propose using a similar digital asset instead of those associated with crypto. However, the company has hinted at using “blockchain-based currency” in the new filing.
Why You Should Care
While Sony’s proposal is not guaranteed to see the light of day, its points are massive for the industry. Despite being notorious for its siloed experiences, the company could extend an olive branch to other platforms via NFTs.
Moreover, Sony introducing NFTs to its games and console could propel adoption in the right direction and make its games more fun and incentivizing.
Catchup on Sony’s last patent:
PlayStation to Track Digital Asset Ownership Using Web 3.0 Technology, Sony Patent Reveals
Read what Coinbase has planned for NFTs:
Coinbase Rolls Out Creator Hub to Make Creating NFTs Easy
