The PlayStation 5 manufacturer is accumulating NFT-related patent filings, indicating an open future for the gaming titan.
No video game console manufacturer has officially embraced NFTs. Still, Sony, the company behind the immensely successful PlayStation brand, continues to make movements in the background, as seen by its most recent NFT-related patent filing.
The application, filed in September 2021 in the United States and publicized last week, describes Sony’s aspirations to develop a standardized digital infrastructure enabling players to own and transfer digital NFT assets across several video game systems.
The application states, “The standardized format may be readable to insert the digital asset into different computer simulations, which may include different video games of various titles.” Additionally, or as an alternative, […] readable on several video gaming consoles, such as PlayStation and Xbox.
Sony said these assets may include in-game skins, artwork, avatars, weaponry, and even “video game skills.” In addition, the proposal stated that they might be “connected over a network” through VR and AR headsets, smart TVs, mobile devices, and consoles from other manufacturers.
Sony promised to have 112 million PlayStation Network subscribers by the end of 2022. The network incorporates PlayStation 5 online-connected players, previous consoles, and portable gear.
This is not Sony’s first attempt to create a framework for NFT game assets. According to a patent application issued in November last year, the Japanese company has been eager to profit from the growing esports industry since 2021 with various in-game digital collectibles.
In its most recent filing, Sony said that current-gen gaming consoles are “technologically insufficient for the owner to use the asset across different games and/or platforms.”
In the past, Sony attempted to keep its PlayStation Network environment separate from other console manufacturers but finally gave in to user pressure and permitted cross-play. Sony’s cross-platform multiplayer initiative was partly inspired by the success of Fortnite, a popular free-to-play shooter developed by Epic Games.
However, closed ecosystems remain the norm for conventional video game materials that players buy or earn. According to proponents of Web3, Blockchain technology is well-equipped to resolve the thorny problem.
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