Some ideas are too good to be locked away.
The Nemesis System had so much potential and should've been a major influence across other games by now. Instead, it's been drowned in corporate greed and just left to go to waste.
What could've been a burst of creativity is now just a lesson on what happens when companies care more about control than ideas.
Debuting in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014), the Nemesis System reshaped the open-world action genre. Enemies had names, personalities, and vendettas. If an orc bested you, they'd remember. They'd gloat, get stronger, and rise through Sauron's ranks.
Perhaps you'd track them down for revenge, or maybe they'd catch you off guard at the worst possible time. It was a living, evolving hierarchy that made both your victories and setbacks count.
The experience was expanded in Shadow of War (2017) with the introduction of fortresses, betrayals, and deeper connections with allies and enemies alike. The unpredictability made every player's journey feel one-of-a-kind.
Long after the battles, fans still tell stories of nemeses who refused to stay gone: orc captains who cheated death, rivals who taunted them endlessly, and once-forgotten foes who re-emerged, scarred, and vengeful.
So why haven't we seen it in more games? Why hasn't the industry run with this revolutionary mechanic? Because Warner Bros. patented it.
Warner Bros. was granted the patent for the Nemesis System in 2021 to hold it until at least 2036 effectively. This means that developers who try to replicate this mechanic might be subject to legal action. This kind of patenting slows down progress in an industry that thrives on constant innovation.
Imagine if other giants had patented combo-based combat or locked away branching dialogue choices. Gaming would be stuck in a rut of recycled concepts. To top it off, Warner Bros. hasn't even used its own system since Shadow of War in 2017. The studio had a golden opportunity to integrate it into various Warner Bros. properties.
click to enlargeIt's not that similar mechanics don't exist elsewhere. Games like Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress, and Mount & Blade have long featured AI with memory, grudges, and evolving relationships.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Odyssey toyed with a watered-down version through its mercenary system. Even Warframe added the Kuva Liches, enemies that adapt and gain strength with every fight. They have made their attempts, but they didn't get anywhere close.
Patents on game mechanics don't protect innovation; they kill it. The Nemesis System patent expires in 2036. That's eleven more years where no other studio can legally attempt to innovate on what Monolith created. When the patent lifts, gaming will have changed, and the industry will be way ahead of it.
There's a bitter irony in all this. Warner Bros. had the potential to revolutionize how AI-driven storytelling works in games. Instead, they smothered it.
If Warner Bros. has no intention of using this system, they should at least open it up to licensing. Let developers experiment with it. Let them refine and improve upon it.
The Nemesis System deserved better. Gamers deserved better. And the industry should never forget what was lost to greed.
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