Nintendo

Nintendo's Graphics patent describes a voxel-based terrain system that allows players to deform and restore environment geometry while maintaining visual quality far beyond typical block-based worlds. The system manages this by treating destructive actions differently from reversible deformations, deleting certain intersection data when players permanently destroy terrain but preserving it when changes can be undone. This selective approach keeps memory usage and processing demands under control while still enabling accurate mesh reconstruction, solving the typical trade-off between real-time performance and visual fidelity in dynamically deformable environments.

The 2 Game Engines patents extend voxel mesh technology into interconnected object systems and material-driven gameplay mechanics. One patent establishes a link between two separate voxel objects so that destroying or reshaping one automatically causes the other to grow and change shape in a complementary way, creating an illusion that matter transfers between them rather than simply disappearing. The other patent converts mined terrain into consumable items that inherit properties from the source material, with harder materials taking longer to consume and different material types granting distinct abilities like flight or terrain transformation. Together, these systems turn terrain composition into a direct source of player abilities and create conservation-of-matter dynamics across multiple objects.

Nintendo's Networking patent replaces traditional matchmaking wait screens with an interactive shared world where players can move around and interact while races fill up. Players who arrive while a race is already underway can watch it from within this shared space, with racing players rendered transparently to distinguish them from those waiting in the lobby. This approach transforms idle waiting time into active exploration within a persistent open-world field that serves as both a pre-game gathering space and a spectator area.