Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
There’s a ton of interesting interactivity going on in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Nintendo wants to make sure most of it isn’t nabbed for use in other developers’ games. The company was seen to have registered a multitude of patents which cover a variety of features in the game. That includes specialized things like the Fuse and Ultrahand abilities. However, it also features more mundane and general things such as the adaptive loading screen and the physics by which Link moves when standing on objects.
The patents filed by Nintendo were noticed Automaton, but officially registered between the dates of July 10 and August 4, 2023. They include a variety of features in the game, such as Riji’s lightning ability and the various physics and functions of Fuse and Ultrahand. However, as shared by Japanese site naoya2k, one such patent relates to the calculations Tears of the Kingdom does when Link rides on top of objects. It’s a patent regarding the situation where when an object link is standing on is in motion, Link will also move at an appropriate speed without input.
Other patents related to Tears of the Kingdom relate to features such as the loading screen. Tears of the Kingdom’s loading screen is adaptive. When fast-traveling shows the map, pinpointing where Link starts from, and then the map view transfers to where Link will teleport. There are other elements that update throughout the game, such as Link’s life hearts, stamina, and the abilities he has gained.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a fascinating amalgam of creativity and interaction (all of which no doubt aided it in selling 18.51 million units), but it seems those elements may very well be confined to Nintendo uses. With these patents in play, the big N seems prepared to take legal action if it feels anyone copies its work a little too closely. Stay tuned as we continue to follow this story for further updates.