The patenting of video game technologies and features has always been a tricky subject; many believe the practice stifles creativity, while others say it’s necessary to ensure developers don’t have their hard work stolen.
Gaming giant EA has been criticized for patenting its technologies and game features in the past, but now it might be winning back some support.
The company has announced a ‘patent pledge’, promising that it won’t sue any developers that want to use its accessibility-related patents in their own games. This includes patents that can make games more visible for those with vision impairments, and allow players to listen to personalized music based on their hearing capabilities and even EA’s patent for its ping system used in Apex Legends (which allows players to quickly highlight areas, items, and players without communicating over a mic).
While the pledge only covers five patents right now, EA has also stated that additional patents could be added to the program later.
If this pledge is honored unconditionally, it could have enormous benefits for…
