Has it ever occurred to you what happens to your e-books, video games, and other virtual items when you die? Well, Tencent has thought about it and secured a patent that allows the transfer of digital items upon the death of the owner.
As shared by video games analyst Daniel Ahmad on Twitter, Tencent first filed the patent in 2019 and has obtained patent protection this year.
Although it’s not specifically about video games since it concerns more with digital asset certificates, the patent has apparently started discussions on inheriting video game accounts and in-game items.
See also: Tencent uses facial recognition to catch late-night child gamers breaking curfew
Tencent however has yet to build upon its patent and announce a digital inheritance plan or service that its customers can avail of, according to Ahmad.
Coincidentally, Apple has also launched its Digital Legacy service with iOS 15 last month, allowing the bereaved to gain access to the account of a deceased person. Facebook has something similar too called Legacy Contact.