Nintendo Applies For Patent To Let Players Set Clear Conditions In Games, Cites WarioWare D.I.Y. As Reference

As readers will know, Nintendo’s patents are always an interesting source of insight into the company’s big ideas. While we’ve seen the company toss around futuristic plans for bendable Joy-Con and even eye-tracking 3D visuals on TVs, a recent patent application by Nintendo seems to contain an interesting retrospective on a DS classic, instead.

In particular, Nintendo recently filed a new “Information Processing” patent in Japan. More specifically, the patent pertains to mechanics that would allow players to set clear conditions in a level by editing/moving objects around – such as  in Super Mario Maker 2. you can see this below, courtesy of blogger Japanese Nintendo:

What’s interesting about this document is that it also references WarioWare D.I.Y. – a DS game where players could likewise edit objects and clear conditions to make their own minigames. The patent even includes an image of the game’s guidebook, specifically citing it as an example of how this mechanic works.

For all intents and purposes, it looks like WarioWare D.I.Y. may have been one source of inspiration for ‘maker’ games such as Super Mario Maker and its sequel! We’re not sure if Nintendo currently has any plans for the WarioWare series on Switch, but it’s playful spirit is most likely in one or two Switch games already!

(Thanks for the translation, Japanese Nintendo,  BlackKite, and J-PlatPat!)