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Brendan Sinclair

@brendansinclair.bsky.social

1.7K followers 550 following 1.6K posts

Recovering game journalist, now simply a journalist. Context-Free Patent Art: https://www.tumblr.com/contextfreepatentart

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 4d

I appreciated the Leland Yee reference, thanks.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 4d

I'll just note that the first Assassin's Creed game was set during the Crusades and made in the years after 9/11 during a couple U.S.-led wars in the Middle East.

Stephen Totilo @stephentotilo.bsky.social · 4d

SCOOP: Last year, Ubisoft cancelled an Assassin's Creed game set during Reconstruction. Was to feature a Black Assassin who, among other things, fought the rise of the Klan

Sources: Leadership nixed it over concerns re: U.S. political climate, backlash to Yasuke

www.gamefile.news/p/scoop-ubis...

Scoop: Ubisoft cancelled a post-Civil War Assassin’s Creed last year

Company leadership deemed the project too controversial for the moment, sources tell Game File

www.gamefile.news

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 6d

Only the power of CD-ROM technology can offer thrills like this.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 9d

If they were really serious about those AR glasses, they would change the company name to Auggie.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 16d

Definitely one to ponder.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 16d

Believe me, I am aware of the job situation.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 16d

I'm not a big fan of mystery boxes either, but they have less control over the experience so they can't engineer compulsion loops the same way. Neither is really great, but I don't think they're quite as close a parallel as it might seem at first glance.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 16d

The banana patent, for those who missed it. US application 20210031110:

Two patent drawings showing a person's hands holding a banana sideways. The second image has a PlayStation X button superimposed over one end of the banana and a triangle on the other end.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 16d

Sony already applied for a patent on a literal banana controller, and now it's looking for one on a motion-sensing orb. I love this kind of stuff.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 16d

Kind of stunning how a foundational part of the modern video game industry is being banned for kids in major markets and it's getting minimal attention internationally.

Leon Xiao @leonxiao.com · 17d

Brazilian President signed the under-18 loot box ban into law (Lei 15.211/25; effective March 2026). 🇧🇷 www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_a...

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 19d

Dudes rock.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 20d

Decent reflection of the industry over the past three years though.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 21d

We did come close once.

Cover art for the Super Nintendo game Mecarobot Golf

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 24d

Am I the only one who initially read this as referring to an artificial intelligence bot trained on Michaels' work?

The Onion @theonion.com · 24d

Al Michaels Recaps History Of Football For Viewers Just Tuning In https://theonion.com/al-michaels-recaps-history-of-football-for-viewers-just-tuning-in/

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 24d

Oh right, I forgot about the museum! That's cool that they're creating new things for it like this.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 24d

Nintendo seems to have a renewed interest in light guns as well, although this one seems to be for location-based entertainment like the Nintendo areas at Universal theme parks.

US Patent application 2025/0288913, images of a "gun type shooting device" and a "bazooka type shooting device," which looks like a Super Nintendo Super Scope peripheral.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 26d

"Zoolander says he has a multitude of 'looks,' but they are in fact the same look."

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 27d

The mysterious absence of Lilo has me going back and forth about which one they put in the tin.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 28d

Sorry, sorry. Forgot this guy.

Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo in a box. A picture on the side of the box shows a hand holding it under the arms.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · 28d

Largest?

Image of Detective Pikachu amiibo next to the normal Pikachu amiibo. It appears a little more than twice as tall.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 12

Here's a patent applicant who imagines using the M-rated game where you torture a guy with a nail gun and blowtorch as a way to teach basic colours to children in the age group of 0-4.

U.S. patent application 2025/0285645 showing a pulldown menu letting users select a game, platform, lesson, and target age group for creating new educational content. This user has selected the Xbox game A Way Out for a teaching colours lesson. The lesson plan says "This lesson teaches basic colours to children in the age group of 0-4." There is a button asking "Any mature content?" that appears to have the "yes" option highlighted.

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 11

Don't worry, a little retrobright will clean those right up.

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 11

Interesting, Sony just applied for a patent on a haptic feedback system for a gun accessory. Sounds a bit like the old Time Crisis arcade guns that would give a kick of recoil when you pulled the trigger.

US patent application 2025/0281828, dated Sep. 11, 2025, showing a cutaway of a pistol with some diagrams inside

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Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 11

Crying shame they don't have access to Longo's or Sobey's store brands...

Brendan Sinclair @brendansinclair.bsky.social · Sep 11

Auspicious and unintentional favorite.

Screencapture of Rebekah's "magnum opus" Pizza Hut light fixture tweet, with the "favourites" number 666 and lit up because I had just favourited it.