Universal theme park patent could finally make ‘Pokémon’ real, kinda

If you've always wanted to chill with your pal Bulbasaur at your favorite theme park, we've got something good to tell you — well, sort of.

A new patent from Universal might not make Pokémon real — still waiting for that one, Elon — but it could mean that more interactive elements are coming to your favorite theme parks, including the "collecting and trading of physical objects," which sounds a lot like Pokémon cards to us.

Interact with this, chump — The patent, which was published last month — and dissected by blog Orlando Park Stop — describes an "interactive token system" where guests would collect souvenir coins or tokens which they would store in a wearable device. Guests will then use these tokens to unlock special attractions, battle among other guests, or some other novel amusement.

Apparently, despite the fact that we live in 2022, these tokens will be physical objects, meaning that guests can trade them with each other for fun and profit. Yes, apparently Universal Studios has independently invented Pogs for the 21st century, and we can't wait to see how that goes for them.

PokeStop USA — Dumb jokes aside, given that Universal's own Super Nintendo World is set to open this year, this technology seems suspiciously similar to what a lot of people wanted Pokémon Go to turn into in its early days.

Indeed, the fact that "battles" are explicitly mentioned as an example of the technology in the patent seems fairly suggestive of PokeShenanigans, not to mention the fact that a partnership between the Pokémon Company and Universal Studios Japan was already announced. It's worth noting that Super Nintendo World already has a wearable piece of tech in the form of Power Up Bands, which allow guests to collect coins and play mini-games.