The Nemesis System Debate: Is The WB Games Patent A Good Thing?
Last Updated on: 6th February 2021, 03:50 pm
WB Games’ Nemesis System is the stand-out feature of their Middle-earth series. Now, finally, they have been able to secure a patent for the system and it has driven a Mordor-forged stake through the fandom.
The US Patent and Trademark Office released an issue notice on February 3, 2021, that confirms the patent acquired by WB Games will go into effect on February 23.
Warner Bros also has the option to keep this patent all the way until 2035 if they can keep up financially, which we doubt would be an issue.
The Nemesis System Patent
The patent secured by WB Games itself is pretty vague, yet covers the entirety of what makes the Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War games unique.
According to IGN, it is filed as so:
” Nemesis characters, nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in computer games.”
This means that, not only does it cover the Nemesis System and it’s characters, it also covers Shadow of War’s Social Conquest battles.
READ MORE: Netflix to Adapt Tomb Raider Into an Anime Series
WB Games have been trying to get a patent for this since 2015, despite an initial frowning upon from many within the industry, and now it’s official.
Interestingly, the reason it was refuted and required revision were due to the fact that it was reportedly too similar to other patents. It almost seems ironic given the fact that much of Shadow of War’s initial success was down to the Middle-earth IP and its’ similarity to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed.
Why The Controversy?
As it stands, after February 23, any developer that wanted to build and use a “Nemesis System” would have to secure a licensing agreement from Warner Bros.
Although similar systems are apparent in other open-world action-adventure titles, most notably those by Ubisoft, it’s unsure as to whether these will be impacted negatively by the new patent.
What we do know is that there is a strong suggestion that we will see even less of the system as we do already thanks to what essentially equates to an “exclusivity deal”.
Many are referring back to when Bandai Namco patented a mini-game system that popped up during loading screens and the fact that this feature is now largely absent from games.
But, onto the controversy… Below are just some of the tweets lamenting the decision:
However, there are people praising the decision… Albeit they are less-involved with game development and perhaps don’t have a true understanding on what this could mean for the future…
WB Games’ Nemesis System is what makes Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War stand apart from the crowd. The Middle-earth IP is obviously a selling point, but in terms of gameplay, it is woefully similar to other games in the genre.
READ MORE: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake Delayed Indefinitely
This isn’t strictly an issue WB Games faces, though, as there are always returning features in these kinds of titles. However, the Nemesis System in Monolith’s Lord of the Rings-based titles was something that would make you actually think “Wow, okay. This is new.”
The fact that we haven’t seen more of this innovation is saddening and now we know why we haven’t seen similar systems pop up.
It’s obvious that this all paints WB Games as the villain, but this isn’t the only developer to do something… Controversial. BioWare’s patent of their dialogue wheel seems downright bizarre and Take-Two have recently attempted to secure a new AI navigation system developed by Rockstar.
Do you think WB Games’ patent is a good idea? Or, do you agree with those that it is a step in the wrong direction?
Enjoy The Click? Don’t forget to keep up to date on everything posted by following @TheClickGG on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
