Achievement unlocked?
17 September 2025
by rawmeatcowboy
4
For decades now, platforms like Xbox and PlayStation have had achievements and trophies, which are extra challenges for players to tackle in-game that will earn them virtual points/scores/trophies to represent their hard work. A handful of Nintendo games over the years have had something similar, but there’s never been a system-wide feature. Now it seems Nintendo might be rethinking that.
A Nintendo patent was published on Sept. 4th, 2025 and it includes a lot of language that points to some sort of achievement-like system. As usual, Nintendo wants to take a somewhat different approach to their offering as compared to the competition, but the same basic ideas are there. Players will be tasked with completing specific in-game goals that are beyond what the game itself asks, and then they’ll be rewarded for accomplishing them.
It seems that Nintendo is taking a multi-faceted approach to their achievements setup, as gamers will get digital rewards and points for clearing out objectives. Sometimes you’ll tackle a mission and get points, while other times you’ll earn something like an icon or wallpaper. You’ll also be able to use these points to cash in and purchase rewards.
Not surprisingly, it seems like this entire system will only be available to those who have Switch Online accounts, making it just one more perk for members, as well as a point of enticement for those who haven’t signed up. With all this said, remember that Nintendo patents can point to future projects from Nintendo, but we’ve also seen patents that never actually get used. Whether or not this achievement-style system actually goes live on Switch or Switch 2 remains to be seen.
