Just this past March, Sony
Interactive Entertainment took a notable stake in the e-sports scene by acquiring
part-ownership of the EVO Championship Series. This annual fighting game
tournament is one of the pillars of pro gaming, and Sony’s PlayStation consoles
have had good mileage of use and presentation here. In fact, other videogame
console manufacturers have worried that Sony’s part-ownership could push EVO to
remove non-PS systems from the event, though this has been refuted by EVO
higher-ups. Still, one cannot help but wonder now, considering word has gone
out that Sony has long patented an online game tournament system.
According to IGN, Sony Interactive Entertainment filed a patent with the US
Patent and Trademark Office back in 2018 about a method of tournament gaming
integration that promises the ability to create online gaming competitions no matter
the scale, to anyone from videogame developers, third-party organizations like
the founders of EVO, and even among a game’s players themselves. The patent
mentions "a plurality of game titles each associated with at least one
tournament may be hosted on a gaming network platform." Of course, to
facilitate such online integration, those involved must use certain game
systems, perhaps Sony’s own PlayStation series.
This particular detail, added to
the patent as of this past week, is reinforced by the Sony patent talking of a
“gaming network platform,” upon which those looking to join or organize an
online game tournament using this integrated system would first have to
register accounts for. No names were given, but the registration requirement
sounds similar to the existing PlayStation Network (PSN). Now, the PSN at
current only handles online purchases, media streaming, social features and
cloud gaming, but there is a possibility that it could be repurposed; or maybe
Sony can create this new service from whole cloth.
It is interesting to note that
Sony added new information to this 3-year-old patent application in the wake of
their becoming joint owner of the EVO Championship Series about four months
ago. With the announcement that EVO 2021 next month is going to be a digital
event, one cannot help but think that this talk of Sony working on an online
game tournament system could tie in. Of course, no concrete work on the patent
has been shown yet, but the Japanese gaming giant can be perceived as “flexing,”
especially as all games to be contested by participants in EVO this year are
available or exclusive to the PlayStation series.
Image courtesy of PlayStation Universe
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