Update 15/11/22: Article updated to properly identify the source.
A new patent from Sony shows the company is investigating the use of blockchain technology to track digital assets between different games.
“The techniques and technologies described herein expand the capabilities of digital assets associated with video games, and of systems that create and manage such digital assets, by converting the digital assets associated with video games from being fungible to being non-fungible.” the patent reads, via Gamesual.
“The techniques and technologies described herein expand the functionality of digital assets associated with video games, and of systems that create and manage such digital assets, by tracking a history of the digital assets.
Tracking the history of the digital assets can include, for example, tracking when, how, and by whom the digital asset was created, used, modified, rented to, rented by, sold to, purchased by, licensed to, licensed by, exchanged to, exchanged by, and/or other actions.”
Sony’s recently implemented PlayStation Stars caught plenty of flack when first revealed, as many players believed they were to be a new line of NFTs from PlayStation.
That is decidedly not the case, but with this patent it could be difficult not to see PlayStation Stars as a sort of precursor to what may come, with PlayStation NFTs available across PlayStation owned titles.
Much of the gaming community has made it clear that they are not interested in having NFTs in their games however, so it would be interesting to see if this patent is ever further progressed.
Source – [Gamesual]