For years, Nintendo console owners have had to sit on the sidelines while Xbox and PlayStation consoles talked about achievements and trophies.
Even Steam introduced achievements to its platform in 2007. Nintendo, unfortunately, has not. In 2011, Bill Trinen explained why:
When they create their games, [Nintendo's designers] don't tell you how to play their game in order to achieve some kind of mythical reward. Basically, the way the games are designed is they're designed for you to explore the game yourself and have this sense of discovery.
Leading to the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, the company doubled down on not adding achievements to the console at launch. It seems like a huge missed opportunity, too. As disappointing as the open-world portion of Mario Kart World was, the gameplay there would have been a perfect match for achievements.
Well, Nintendo fans, you may finally be getting your wish, if a new patent is anything to go by.
A New Nintendo Patent Hints That Achievements May Be Coming To The Nintendo Switch 2
On September 4th, Nintendo filed for a patent that hints heavily at the introduction of achievements on the Nintendo Switch 2.
As clarified by Nintendo Patents Watch, while the patent description doesn't flat-out confirm achievements, it sounds pretty similar to them. Here are some of the important excerpts from the filing:
- A processor gives points to a user if any of a plurality of giving conditions is achieved by the user, and gives a reward selected by the user from among a plurality of rewards, to the user in exchange for the points owned by the user. The plurality of giving conditions includes a first giving condition achieved if a specific game is played.
- A plurality of first-type missions that require the use of a specific weapon, such as playing a predetermined number of times using a weapon A...and defeating a boss character Z.
It's the second bullet point that screams achievements to me. Using a specific weapon to beat a boss in, say, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, is the type of parameter we normally see in achievements on other consoles.
Whether or not this will directly lead to the introduction of achievements on the Nintendo Switch 2 remains to be seen. Nintendo has been pretty patent-happy as of late. Earlier this month, they filed a new patent on the gameplay mechanic of capturing and battling monsters, which feels like yet another swipe at Palworld. Last month, they put in for a patent on a new attachment for the Joy-Con 2 controller.
