What's New in Gaming Patents? April 2026 Granted Report

Hardware and AI/ML dominated the month, with controller customization, mobile input, content moderation, and character behavior accounting for most activity. Cross-platform and VR/AR led on the platform side, both addressing reliability and spatial accuracy in connected experiences. Session integrity stood out as a shared concern, with independent work on cheating, encryption, and latency cutting across cloud, mobile, and competitive contexts. Sony covered the widest ground, spanning AI, hardware, streaming, and platform systems.

The USPTO granted 31 gaming patents in April 2026, down 31.1% from 45 in March. 17 companies received grants.

Top companies: Sony (8), Nintendo (3), EA (2), Tencent (2), Nvidia (2).

Hardware and AI/ML tied as the leading categories, each with 6 patents.

Hardware patents split into two groups. Three cover controller customization, including adjustable thumbstick tension, a split-body gamepad design, and repositionable input pads on a wearable glove. The shared problem: giving players physical control options that standard controllers don't offer. The other three address phone-based gaming, covering integrated cooling systems and eye-tracking input. These tackle heat buildup and limited input methods on mobile devices.

AI/ML patents came largely from Sony (4) and EA (2). Sony's patents cover content moderation, dynamic game personalization, and voice-based player mood detection. EA's two patents address character animation controls and NPC perception. The common thread: using AI to make games more responsive to individual players and more believable in their behavior.

Streaming and graphics each contributed 3 patents. Streaming patents address latency reduction, highlight detection, and automated camera systems for recordings. Graphics patents cover GPU-based color processing, dynamic visibility rendering, and volumetric video encoding.

Cross-platform led with 9 patents, covering a wide range of back-end and player-facing systems. Patents in this group address ghost overlays on live gameplay, map-based movement tracking, multiplayer state synchronization, and AI-generated game content. The common problem: keeping players engaged and informed across sessions and devices.

VR/AR followed with 5 patents from Niantic, Tencent, Miris, and Guangdong K-Silver Industrial. These cover AR map validation, location data storage, touch-based accessory switching, and volumetric video encoding. The shared challenge: making spatial and location-based experiences accurate and responsive enough for real-world use.

Cloud gaming and console each contributed 4 patents. Cloud patents address session sharing, content encryption, and network latency routing. Console patents from Sony and Nintendo cover rendering systems and multiplayer synchronization. Both platforms are tackling the same core problem from different directions: delivering consistent, low-latency experiences regardless of where processing happens.

Sony led with 8 patents spanning AI, hardware, streaming, and platform systems. Their AI patents cover content moderation, mood detection from voice chat, and dynamic game personalization. Their hardware patent describes a wearable glove controller with repositionable input pads, addressing the limited customization of traditional controllers.

Nintendo's 3 patents cover graphics, networking, and UI. They address movement track overlays on maps, dynamic visibility rendering, and multiplayer state synchronization across three or more devices. The common problem: keeping gameplay coherent and readable for players across sessions and online environments.

EA's 2 patents both use AI to improve character behavior. One covers player-controlled animation adjustments for skeletal poses. The other gives NPCs perception limits, so they only react to what they could realistically see or hear. Both address the same issue: making in-game characters feel more natural and controllable.

Nvidia's 2 patents cover cheat detection and content encryption. Tencent's 2 patents address GPU-based color processing and touch-based accessory switching. Niantic's 2 patents cover AR map validation and player location data storage at multiple geographic scales.