Sony hints at ‘superfungible tokens’ in latest patent filing: Everything you need to know

Sony is trying to carve out a new niche in the NFT sector, as hinted by the company’s recent patent filing. This new category of digital collectibles that Sony plans to tap into through its games is called “Super Fungible Tokens.” The NFT sector, due to its highly speculative nature, has seen several ups and downs in recent years, although these digital assets have managed to attract the attention of several global tech giants.

As part of Sony’s in-game mechanics, the company plans to allow gamers to assemble all of their digital collectibles and create what is being called a Super Fungible Token. This move from game creator like God of War and Bloodborne could be vital to increasing the role of NFTs in gaming ecosystems.

“The creation of the super-fungible token corresponds to the ownership of one game asset from the set of game assets by the player in the game application at a given time,” Sony said in its patent filing.

The Super Fungible Token uses metadata to identify which game asset that is associated with it is being used by a gamer. Users will have access to one of the NFTs that are part of the Super Fungible Token, while the patent document also suggests that the functionality could work across games and publishers.

Once rolled out, this feature could allow gamers in the Sony ecosystem to use their Super Fungible tokens in other games, according to the patent document. In addition, trading these assets on secondary markets would also distribute already combined bundles of necessary in-game NFTs to other players, saving them the trouble of doing it themselves.

In the gaming arena, NFTs allow gamers to collect and own in-game assets such as tools and weapons, special edition skins, characters, as well as virtual properties. They can also be traded with other players, depending on the platform.

Research firm S&P Global Market Intelligence grades that video game publishers have already generated over $3.6 billion (approx. Rs. 297.93 crore) annually in revenue through in-game NFT sales. The firm predicts that in the next three years to 2027, these revenues will cross $15 billion (roughly Rs. 1.24,141 crore).