Founded by Warner Bros. titles Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, the Nemesis System is a feature that the gaming community has always wanted other developers to use since its inception in 2014. That’s over the past seven years. however never happened. , and it’s because the publisher has successfully patented that mechanic. News of this broke over the past week, but after several failed attempts, the US Patent and Trademark Office will enforce the patent starting February 23, 2021. Warner Bros may choose to keep it until the year 2035.
The patent covers: “Nemesis characters, nemesis fortresses, social vendettas and followers in computer games”. In fact, another developer cannot copy the Nemesis system in the same way. This can be circumvented by creating your own take on the function and dressing it with your own phrases and terms – the dialog wheel in Mass Effect is a famous example. BioWare holds the patent for the RPG’s specific dialogue wheel, but that hasn’t stopped games from using branching dialogue choices ever since. It’s how you present it. However, Warner Bros’ move to patent the mechanic still doesn’t set a particularly positive precedent.
John Wick Hex and Volume maker Mike Bithell took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter, saying, “This is really disgusting, especially for a franchise that built its brilliant nemesis system on top of a whole bunch of mechanics replicated from other games. Like all games do. Because that’s how culture and creativity work. Be a better neighbor, WB. ”Meanwhile, Sony Santa Monica employee Alanah Pearce shared her own thoughts in the video above. The general gaming community hasn’t been too kind to Warner Bros’ actions either, with some fearing that patenting gameplay could trigger a troubling trend at other companies.
There are ways to get around patents, but if there is already such a big roadblock blocking some of your paths, it can keep smaller indie teams from even trying to create something of their own. How do you respond to this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.