Now that Shadow of Mordor publisher Warner Brothers’ has managed to, after several years of attempts, patent the Nemesis system utilized in the Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War games, it owns rights to a system that could have been utilized in many other games. While this is beneficial for Warner Brothers’ if it plans to use it in other games, the vague language of the patent seems intentional and means that WB would be able to take legal action against companies that come to close to the Nemesis system in their games.
Warner Brothers’ has been attempting to obtain this patent since 2015 but succeeded earlier this year. Starting February 23, 2021, the publisher will have exclusive rights to using a Nemesis system in its games. While publishers patenting their game systems is important to maintaining integrity, the vague language of the patent means that WB could potentially levy lawsuits against companies that create systems that are remotely similar. Of course, whether it would or how it would remains to be seen, but basically concepts like the Zealots in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla could be limited by WB’s patent. While incredibly different, it works off a similar fundamental principle, one potentially covered by the WB Patent.
WB’s patent on the Nemesis system bodes well for its own IPs for sure, as another Middle-Earth title could implement a more involved version of the system, and its upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League could also feasibly use the system to some extent. A version of the Nemesis gameplay would lend well to an expansive Gotham City and could have lowly thugs “leveling up” to become territory bosses or even new supervillains in the game. On an even more speculative note, such a mechanic would also work well in a potential Mortal Kombat adventure game if WB chooses to go down that road again in the future.
But more importantly since the patent is now official WB will have rights, as long as it maintains proper legal fees, to the Nemesis system until 2035. The language of the patent could affect games in development or future planned projects if they attempt to utilize the basic concept. The Nemesis system was fairly revolutionary, demanding the higher power of the PS4 and Xbox One to even be fully implemented in Shadow of Mordor. The idea of NPC enemies maintaining knowledge of the player’s actions and a persistent relationship with them was usually something relegated to long-form tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons. Its introduction into an open-world video game created a world that felt more alive and impacted by the player than many others before it.
It’s easy to imagine such a system being built into almost any open-world or story-driven game. A Final Fantasy game where failure in a battle didn’t result in a game over screen but instead a group of bandits or monsters that becomes emboldened comes to mind. Or modern games like Grand Theft Auto where rival crime gangs retaliate with more powerful equipment after being trounced by the players could have been interesting. While purely speculation, it’s easy to imagine the Nemesis system benefitting almost any open-world game. The patent filing by WB, however, will impact development on any such a system for the foreseeable future.
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