Sony is Experimenting with NFTs and Blockchain on PlayStation, Patent Reveals
According to a recently published patent, Sony has been actively researching using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and blockchain technology in games.
Sony’s Blockchain Experiment Commences
Sony’s NFT and blockchain implementation may be in the works. A Sony Interactive Entertainment patent, dubbed Tracking Unique In-Game Digital Assets Using Tokens on a Distributed Ledger, was submitted on May 7. However, it was only published on November 10.
As per the application date, Sony has been working on incorporating NFT technology into its gaming systems for quite some time. The patent explanation is as regards:
“A system and method for tracking digital assets associated with video games. The digital assets may be in-game digital assets, such as in-game items or characters. The digital assets may be video game digital media assets representing moments of gameplay of a video game, such as video clips or images. The digital asset is created, and a distributed ledger tracking the history of the digital asset is created and stored across devices.”
Sony’s patent demonstrated that a special token for the virtual currency could contain a unique ID and metadata recognizing the digital asset’s characteristics. The ownership history of the token will be registered on the blockchain and it will be possible to change the metadata of that same token. A new block can be engendered and concatenated to the distributed network to identify the changes to the digital asset’s history. The latest block may contain hashes from the preceding block.
Sony’s Patent to Incorporate NFTs
Nevertheless, the waves have transitioned lately, with Square Enix insisting on using blockchain and NFTs in its latest game Symbiogenesis, despite the backlash from the gaming community.
It appears that Sony Interactive Entertainment, one of the world’s largest gaming companies, will soon follow suit, as the newly registered patent revolves around the same concept of incorporating NFTs and cryptocurrency within games.
Once NFTs became popular, it was predicted that blockchain technology and NFTs would make their way into mainstream gaming franchises sooner or later. At the time, NFTs were primarily used as digital art to trade on large platforms such as OpenSea. A few developers also created NFT-related games that placed your individual NFT to function in a simulation.
Not only were pre-owned NFTs used in games like these, but some games went even further and launched tokens to produce, trade, and use inside games. Heartfelt organizations created entire ecological systems across NFT games, and they exploded. Still, there were no signs of blockchain technology entering the mainstream gaming industry, as no definitive company has seriously implemented it into games.
Regarding the explanation, the new patent will aid the organization in making the in-game currency distinctive and non-fungible, which is the predominant utilization case of any NFT to provide you with a separate identity that cannot be recreated or destructed and will always portray you once it is minted. It also defines the downsides of the prevailing in-game currency system, as well as the shortcomings of the existing system, and how this new technology will aid in resolving these issues.
