The Nemesis system, founded by the titles of Warner Bros. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel, is a feature that the video game community has always wanted other developers to use since its inception in 2014. This has never happened in the past. seven years later. , and is that the publisher has successfully patented the mechanic in question. The news was released the previous week, but after several failed attempts, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will allow the patent to be held as of February 23, 2021. Warner Bros. may choose to maintain it. until 2035.
The patent includes: “Nemesis characters, Nemesis fortresses, social vendettas and fans in computer games.” Indeed, another developer cannot copy the Nemesis system in a similar way. This can be achieved by creating your own view of the feature and dressing it up with your own phrases and terms: the Mass Effect dialog wheel is a famous example. BioWare has the patent for the RPG-specific dialogue wheel, but that hasn’t stopped games from using branched dialogue options ever since. This is how you present it. However, Warner Bros. ’action to patent the mechanic does not yet set a particularly positive precedent.
Creator of John Wick Hex and Volume Mike Bithell took to Twitter to share his views on the matter, saying, “This is really dirty, especially for a franchise that built its brilliant nemesis system on a whole bunch of mechanics played from other games. Like all games do. Because that’s how culture and creativity. Be a better neighbor, WB “. Meanwhile, Sony Santa Monica worker Alanah Pearce shared her own thoughts in the previously embedded video. The general gaming community has also not taken too kindly to the actions of Warner Bros., with some worried that the patenting of the game could lead to a worrying trend from other companies.
There are ways to circumvent patents, but when there is such a large ravine that already blocks some of your paths, this could deter smaller independent teams from trying to create something of their own. How do you react to this? Share your thoughts in the comments below.