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Warner Bros is trying to patent Middle-earth’s Nemesis System: Shadow of Mordor, the critically acclaimed it emerged.
The revelation came in the latest video in the awesome YouTube Game Maker’s Toolkit series, which analyzes how the Nemesis system works.
The Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Nemesis system, developed by a number of employees at Monolith Productions studio in Kirkland, Wash., Tracks player actions in-game to create enemies seemingly able to remember your encounters, to climb the ranks and get revenge. As our Christian Donlan wrote of the Villain Generator in 2017, “die to an orc and the orc that offended you will get stronger and might get a promotion”.
“It allows what could be a repetitive game to become wonderfully chuggy fun: there’s a sort of wavy grind here as you alternate between learning, killing, and dying – at which point the whole system jumps and gets more complex in ways that require more learning, more killings and more deaths. “
The patent, originally filed in March 2016, is dubbed “Nemesis characters, Nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in video games”, and is now awarded to Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Its current status is listed as “pending”, but there is reason to believe that the request will be accepted.
According to the patent list, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a final rejection in November 2019. But Warner Bros. stuck to its guns and, in October 2020, a “notice of acceptance. ” has been published. This indicates that Warner has been able to overcome the refusals, and the USPTO believes the invention is patent eligible.
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So, it only seems a matter of time before Warner Bros. gets its Nemesis patent six years after its first application. And if so, it could return in one form or another in an upcoming Middle-earth game – or any Warner Bros game for that matter. Batman? Harry Potter?
The revelation of the Nemesis patent certainly sparked a debate about the rights and wrongs of Warner Bros. actions here. Watchers are also wondering if Warner Bros’ attempt to patent the Nemesis system is the reason we haven’t seen a similar system in other games. I’ve seen some insist that it should be impossible to patent the mechanics of video games.
“If you take someone’s design and make a better version of it, you should get a trophy and a triumph on the streets and the people who made the previous version should clap you and say, ‘wow that was really cool. ‘, “Obsidian Design Director Josh Sawyer wrote on Twitter.
if ever i try to legally protect a gameplay mechanic i hope to be executed via persian ships !!!
– Josh Sawyer (@jesawyer) January 29, 2021
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In truth, many developers and publishers over the years have obtained patents for the mechanics of video games. BioWare, for example, has a patent for the Mass Effect Dialog Wheel. Sega previously held a patent on Crazy Taxi’s Compass Arrow, although it expired in 2018. Nintendo currently holds a patent on the Eternal Darkness sanity meter.
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