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Nintendo patent revocation backlash, prior art and absurd claims

April 3, 2026r/gamedev

In r/gamedev, Nintendo losing patent claims triggered a pile-on about how obvious prior art still gets granted and how broad game mechanic patents can be. The outrage spreads because it frames the system as broken, not just one company.

The USPTO has revoked several of Nintendo's patents after re-examination, determining they should not have been granted to begin with due to instances of prior art.
Some of the patents are preposterous.. "Fade Objects Between Player and Camera View'
1) Why the fuck were they given in the first place, then?
r/gamedev
patentsprior artnintendoprior art

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