Sony has obtained a patent for a surprisingly similar collaboration path construction mechanism found in Sony’s exclusive patent Death stranded, It seems to take one of the most interesting aspects of a completely different game and make it unique to Sony.
The patent itself is titled “Terrain Radar and Gradually Constructing Routes in the Virtual Environment of Video Games”, citing Hideo Kojima as the creator of the mechanism, although it never mentions Death Stranding. Specifically, the patent proposes methods of “influencing the game world of video games”, such as who created the paths, how they are used, and all the basic general details surrounding the gameplay of death stranding.
If this sounds worrying, it is because we have been here before. There is a reason, for example, that you didn’t see games with mini games in the loading stream until recently: this was because Namco Bandai applied for a patent for itself until the patent expired in 2015. The hoarding of game ideas will only lead to stifling creativity in game design. If the plat form concept was patented by Nintendo in the 1980s, where would we be? This is a slippery slope. Fortunately, the company dare not step too much, but who knows how long it can last.
For its part, “Death Stranding” has just released a new version in the director’s cut version of PS5, and the sequel may be in the early planning stages. It’s a pity that Kojima doesn’t like the name of the former.
“Death Stranding” is available for PS4 and PC, and the director’s cut version is now available for PS5.