What's New in Gaming Patents? November 2025 Granted Report

UI/UX and hardware patents dominated, addressing interface complexity and physical precision during competitive play. Cross-platform infrastructure and VR/AR comfort problems received significant attention, with companies developing solutions for service interoperability and motion sickness reduction. Sony concentrated on AI-powered player assistance and cloud optimization, Nintendo tackled control systems for party-based games, and Tencent focused exclusively on mobile interface limitations. Player workflow interruption emerged as a unifying challenge across categories.

The USPTO granted 49 gaming patents in November, down 19.7% from October. 34 companies received grants.

Top companies: Sony (8), Nintendo (6), Tencent (3), EA (2), Meta (1).

UI/UX led with 10 patents addressing diverse interface challenges. Tencent developed multiple mobile-specific systems including split-screen controls that let games run in sub-windows while maintaining touch interfaces, and 3D audio compasses showing sound source elevation. Sony patented gameplay DVR technology allowing instant rewind without exiting sessions. Nintendo created dual-character control systems that seamlessly switch between independent and merged character modes.

Hardware followed with 8 patents spanning protective accessories and input devices. Shenzhen companies patented modular cases with snap-attach accessories and weighted arcade sticks with removable metal stacks. The common problem: improving portability and stability during gameplay without sacrificing functionality or precision.

AI/ML accounted for 7 patents focused on player assistance and experience personalization. Sony developed multiple systems using machine learning, including GPT-based help trained on community discussions and gesture-recognition pipelines for automatic messaging. Electronics And Telecommunications Research Institute patented imitation learning for creating AI teammates from real player behavior. These address player frustration from lack of immediate help and unfair skill mismatches in multiplayer games.

Cross-Platform led with 19 patents covering diverse infrastructure challenges. Amazon developed event processing systems enabling backend features to communicate across different hosting providers without custom integration code. Nant Holdings created blockchain-based systems for immutable gaming event records. Zynga patented game definition files that update logic without app store submissions. The common problem: reducing technical friction and development overhead in games running across multiple services and devices.

VR/AR followed with 11 patents addressing comfort and interaction barriers. Sony patented motion sickness prediction systems analyzing postural stability before symptoms manifest. Meta and Apple developed low-power eye tracking solutions for untethered headsets. Magic Leap created dual-stream eye tracking combining high-speed glints with detailed pupil data for foveated rendering. The common problem: extending session length and enabling all-day wearability by reducing nausea and power consumption.

Cloud Gaming accounted for 5 patents tackling latency and bandwidth issues. Sony developed predictive frame generation to fill network gaps and caching systems for save data retrieval. Google patented adaptive encoding using PSNR measurements to compress streams without quality loss. These address the responsiveness gap between cloud and local gaming experiences.

Sony led with 8 patents spanning four categories, with AI/ML representing half their portfolio. Their machine learning systems cover GPT-based help trained on community discussions, gesture recognition for automatic messaging, and eye-tracking that surfaces chat prompts during strategic moments. The common problem: helping players get assistance without disrupting gameplay flow.

Nintendo's 6 patents split between UI/UX, game engines, and graphics rendering. Their interface work addresses control complexity in party-based games through companion positioning systems and dual-character switching mechanics. Their rendering patent enables efficient depth sorting for 3D objects in 2D gameplay without expensive z-ordering calculations. These solve precision positioning challenges and computational overhead in hybrid visual styles.

Tencent's 3 patents exclusively target mobile UI challenges. Beyond split-screen controls and 3D audio compasses, they developed layered blinding effects that apply different visual treatments to environment versus minimap layers. The unifying problem: mobile interface limitations that force players to exit games for phone functions or struggle with spatial awareness in complex battle scenarios.