Namco's loading screen game patent expires

Back in 1995, Namco filed US Patent 5718632 A, which gave them ownership of the idea of a loading screen mini game (or "auxilary game", as the patent called it). Loading screen mini games are just that, mini games that you play while the main game loads.

On November 27th, 2015, that patent has expired, and the idea of a loading screen mini game is now up for grabs. To celebrate, a "Loading Screen Jam" was held, asking developers to "create games/interactive material based on infringing the now-defunct patent in any way possible!"

By that point, however, storage technology had advanced to the point that loading times in games have reduced dramatically, especially with the advent of SSDs for modern PCs and consoles that load data near instantaneously. As a result, game developers didn't seem to see a need to implement loading screen minigames into their games, as almost no new major releases have included them since the patent's expiration.