Miyamoto Wanted to Patent Jumping in Games

By
Tristan Oliver
– November 25, 2009

“I’m not going to let those other games top us”

How would you feel if, for every Sonic game which included our blue hedgehog jumping, Sega had to pay Nintendo a fee?  What if gaming companies around the world had to do the same thing for including a jump mechanic in their titles?

It almost happened.

That, according to the latest round of one-on-ones between Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata and the man behind Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto.  In it, Miyamoto claimed “jumping games” to have originated from within Nintendo, tracing it all the way back to Mario Bros. and even Donkey Kong.

“After Mario Bros., there were a fair few jumping-style games released by various companies and I felt that this kind of jumping game had been our idea,” Miyamoto said.

But the real kicker is in Miyamoto’s follow-up comment, responding to Iwata’s agreement with the notion that platformers with jumping had originated out of Nintendo:

I went as far as thinking that jumping is an original idea and that it should be patented! Anyway, I thought: “Right, I’m not going to let those other games top us!” (laughs)

What if he followed through?  The execution of Sonic the Hedgehog–if not the concept–could have stopped Sega dead in its tracks.  Had Sonic in his current form entered the marketplace as it were, and the same threat to Nintendo’s console dominance were at stake, lawsuits could have rendered Sonic a one or two hit wonder.

Of course, things are now different.  Sonic and Mario are together in several titles, including Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.  And when you consider the myriad of patent infringement lawsuits Nintendo has faced regarding the Wii console…perhaps the egos have finally caught up.  What do you think?  Tell us in the comments.

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