Activision has filed a series of patents over the last few months, including apatent for realistic face technologyin video games, all of which hint at a forward-thinking attitude at the company. However, a new patent for a GPS based gaming technology suggests that the company isn’t afraid to recreate tried and true gaming tech, either.
Gamers and non-gamers alike who were alive in 2016 should need no reminder of the massive success of a certain GPS-basedPokemongame. Now, after several years, two big things have happened. Someone has finallyreached level 50 inPokemon GO, and Activision has turned its gaze towards GPS based games as well.
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The gaming giant, responsible for publishing theTony Hawkseries as well as theCall of Dutygames, filed a patent on February 11 for “Gps Seed For Game Play,” and the document paints a picture of what Activision may be planning. The system appears to use GPS coordinates to spawn a seed that triggers different events in the game world, which likely means several players at the same location would experience the same in-game event. Further, the system would use GPS coordinates to create consistent in-game locations, similar toPokemon GO’s PokeStops and Gyms. However, while players are able tonominate new PokeStops inPokemon GO, no such feature is mentioned in Activision’s patent.
Interestingly, this is not the first timeActivision has filed a GPS-based gaming patent. The previous patent focused more on the visual side of augmented reality, which is the process that allows virtual characters to be imposed over the real world, whereas the more recent patent seems to be concerned with the technical side of having events and puzzles spawn at GPS-specific locations.
The devices shown being used in both patents are smartphones, but the latest patent states that the technology could be used in other “generally mobile devices” as well. On one hand, withMinecraft Earthshutting downlater this year, thus reducing the competition, it’s a great time for Activision to get in on the GPS gaming world. On the other hand, with many cities still on strict lockdown orders, it’s something of a necessity that GPS games won’t have the user-base they otherwise might, at least for the foreseeable future.
Of course, a patent doesn’t necessarily mean that Activision is days away from announcing a GPS-based game. After all,Activision’s controversial microtransaction patentfrom 2017 has yet to be implemented in any of the company’s games. At the end of the day, only Activision knows if a GPSCall of DutyorTony Hawkgame is coming to phones and tablets, but the newest patent does suggest that the company is continuing to explore the idea.
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