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| FIG. 12: Nintendo’s patent illustrates screen regions tied to each side, with advantages linked to where play happens. |
By Jon Scarr
A newly published patent from Nintendo offers insight into how the company continues to think about multiplayer design and balance. Rather than pointing to new hardware or control methods, the patent focuses on a gameplay approach where screen position and territory control directly influence player advantage — specifically, which rendered region a character occupies.
The concept is straightforward, but very deliberate. Where your character is on the screen, and which side or group controls that space, can affect how effective certain actions are during play.
Screen position as a source of advantage
The patent describes dividing the game screen into visually distinct rendered regions, each associated with a specific group or team. These regions are communicated through colour, shading, or boundaries, making them easy to read at a glance.
When a character operates within a region controlled by their own group:
- Attacks may be more effective
- Defensive actions may be stronger
- Certain actions may be rewarded more favourably
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| FIG. 8: Actions like attacks can be affected depending on whether a character is inside their group’s region. |
Moving into an opponent-controlled rendered region can reduce those advantages. Importantly, the patent doesn’t describe locking players out of actions or enforcing hard penalties. Instead, it subtly shifts effectiveness based on where play is happening, with advantages applying while a character remains within their group’s rendered region.
The screen itself becomes part of the rules.
Why visibility matters here
One of the most consistent themes throughout the patent is its emphasis on visual clarity. These advantages aren’t hidden behind menus or invisible calculations. Players are meant to understand what’s happening simply by looking at the screen.
This approach:
- Helps explain outcomes without interrupting play
- Reduces frustration caused by unclear mechanics
- Makes success and failure feel connected to player decisions
Rather than telling you why something worked, the game shows you.
This fits squarely with how Nintendo tends to design multiplayer experiences. The rules are present, but they’re communicated through space, colour, and movement instead of tutorials or pop-ups.
More about balance than difficulty
It would be easy to mistake this approach for a catch-up mechanic, but that isn’t what the patent outlines. There’s no mention of rubber-banding or forced advantages for struggling players.
Instead, the emphasis is on:
- Positioning
- Awareness
- Control of space
More skilled players still benefit from better timing and execution, but they’re encouraged to think carefully about where engagements happen. Advantage comes from smart movement and map awareness, not just reaction speed.
That tends to make multiplayer games feel fairer without flattening skill differences.
Objectives and shifting control
Later examples in the patent introduce scenarios where objectives can change which regions are active. Standing on a platform or capturing an item can shift control, updating the visible regions and the advantages tied to them. In other examples, rendered regions can also shift shape or expand depending on what’s happening in the match, keeping control readable as momentum changes.
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| FIG. 16: Capturing an objective can assign control to a specific group. |
This opens the door to territory-based play where momentum shifts are immediately visible. Instead of relying on UI prompts or announcers, control changes are reflected directly on the screen. You can see when momentum shifts, even if you’re just watching.
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| FIG. 17: Once control changes, the “rendered region” can update to reflect that momentum shift. |
Where Nintendo could use this next
While the patent doesn’t reference a specific game, the idea of rendered region-based advantage aligns closely with several Nintendo multiplayer experiences that already prioritize space, territory, and readability.
The most natural fit is Splatoon. Splatoon’s multiplayer already revolves around controlling space through colour, with movement and momentum tied directly to map ownership. A rule where combat effectiveness subtly changes depending on whether you’re fighting in friendly or enemy-controlled territory would reinforce ideas Splatoon players already understand instinctively.
That connection becomes even more interesting in the context of the upcoming Splatoon Raiders on Nintendo Switch 2. If Nintendo is expanding how Splatoon’s gameplay is structured, a visible, position-based advantage could add depth without adding clutter or complexity.
The same design approach also fits well with:
- Super Smash Bros. party or objective-driven modes, where stage control already plays a role
- Mario Party and other Mario multiplayer titles built around shared screens and instant readability
- A potential new multiplayer IP designed around couch play or mixed skill levels
In each case, advantage comes from where you are, not hidden modifiers or unexplained numbers. Control is communicated visually, making momentum easy to understand for both players and spectators.
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| Nintendo’s newly published patent filing outlines gameplay advantages tied to screen position and territory control. |
What this patent really says about Nintendo
Nintendo regularly files patents to protect design ideas, not promises of specific features. Whether this exact approach appears in a future game or not, the thinking behind it already reflects how Nintendo approaches multiplayer design.
Readable spaces. Clear cause and effect. Rules that are easy to grasp without being spelled out.
The patent also allows for different groups to be evaluated separately, which leaves room for asymmetric outcomes rather than a simple win-loss result.
This patent doesn’t hint at a single game or reveal a secret roadmap. It reinforces something Nintendo has done for years: designing multiplayer experiences where understanding the play space matters just as much as skill.
And that’s very on brand.
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