Discoveries about patents and projects Nintendo is working on are popping up all over the place in the run-up to a proper look at the Switch 2, and this time we’re looking at a patent pertaining to a new sandbox game.
Remember that Nintendo Switch Online playtest last year, the one that leakers quickly let the world know was about playing “with others to fully ‘develop’ a massive, expansive planet by utilizing creativity and framed resources”? Yeah, that’s what this new patent is about.
The patent lists the names Yusuke Amano, Tsubasa Sakaguchi, Masaki Wada, and Shinya Yano. Amano and Sakaguchi both worked on the first Splatoon game as directors, with Amano also working on Animal Crossing: Wild World, New Horizons, and Splatoon 2. Masaki Wada and Shinya Yano both worked as programmers on Ring Fit Adventure.
The first image in the patent includes a drawing of a person hitting the ground with a sword and a stack of blocks in front of them. There’s also a WiFi symbol in the corner with ‘first player area’ written under it. That seemingly confirms that this is about a multiplayer game, where using tools to build and break down is key.
While I would love it if this turned out to be Splatoon 4, the hints of it being a sandbox game don’t really make sense with another ink-slinging sequel. Going off other listed people’s previous games, it might be Animal Crossing-related, if you ignore the sword. For all we know, this is a multiplayer Ring Fit Adventure. Maybe the lack of Sims games on the Switch has led Nintendo to make its own city-builder, where you can add your own Goron spice merchants or a clothing store run by the Able Sisters.
We do need to take this with a pinch of salt, as companies file patents all the time. However, the Nintendo Switch 2 is just around the corner, so this is very likely a brand-new IP.
Whatever it is, we’ll probably need to wait for the next Nintendo Direct to get any information. In the meantime, here’s what we know about the new Pokémon game.