This month's Networking & Multiplayer category includes 3 granted patents from 2 companies: Nintendo (2) and NetEase (1).
Nintendo's patents describe methods for creating ghost-like representations of other players in multiplayer environments, where characters become translucent when overlapping and pass through objects without collision, allowing competitive or cooperative gameplay in parallel virtual spaces while maintaining a single-player experience. NetEase's patent covers a proxy-based system that intercepts game data between client and server to automatically translate language resources in real time, enabling game localization without requiring modifications to the game client itself.
Nintendo received 2 patents that both address how to blend multiplayer interaction with the feel of solo play. The first describes a system where other players' characters pass through objects and become translucent when they overlap with yours, revealing player information only during these moments of overlap rather than cluttering the screen constantly. The second takes a similar approach for competitive scenarios, rendering opponent characters visually in your game space but stripping away any physical interference so they can't block your path or disrupt your gameplay, while also handling how visual effects appear differently depending on whether you're watching someone else's character or controlling your own.
NetEase received 1 patent for a translation system that sits between game clients and servers as a transparent intermediary. The proxy intercepts game data in transit, identifies language resources, and translates them on the fly without requiring game developers to build localization into their titles or players to install modified clients.
All data sourced from USPTO patent filings. Google Patents may take several weeks to index recent publications. If a link is unavailable, search for the patent number at USPTO Patent Public Search.