This Nintendo patent looks a lot like Nintendogs for mobile

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Players will be able to keep puppies in their pockets

Nintendogs + cats bathing spaniel
(Image credit: Nintendo)

A recently-filed Nintendo patent looks like the company might be gearing up to release Nintendogs on mobile. 

As shared on Reddit, Nintendo has seemingly filed a patent for what looks like an AR game that will see players interact with a dog via their phone screens. The patent, which was filed by Nintendo on January 17, 2023, contains a lot of technical information about the proposed application, but the thing that's got a lot of people's tails wagging is the diagram contained in the paperwork. 

In the multiple-page document, an illustration of what this application will look like can be found from several different angles. The image features someone holding a smartphone in front of a desk with a puppy sitting in the middle of the screen. Much like Pokemon Go, which uses augmented reality to place Pokemon in the real world, it looks like this app will do the same but with a puppy. 

Before we all collectively lose our minds at the thought of a new Nintendogs game - even if it is for mobile and not Nintendo Switch - it's important to remember that there's always a chance this might not come to fruition. So although it pains me to say it, it's best to take this patent with a grain of salt. But come on Nintendo, it's been 12 years since the last official Nintendogs game, give the people (mainly me) what they want!

You may be surprised to know that this isn't the first Nintendogs story we've written lately. Back in May 2022, the pet simulation game was brought back into the spotlight when a TikTok creator 'rehomed' two Nintendogs after finding a lost game cartridge on a train. The multiple-part series chronicled one person's quest to reunite black Labrador puppy Enzo and Shiba Inu pup Tyson with their owner and saw the creator going to extreme lengths to care for these digital dogs. 

While we keep everything crossed for a Nintendogs revival, find out what you can play in the meantime with our best dog games list. 

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.