Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor's Unique Nemesis System Has Been Put in «Patent Jail» Until 2036

Remember the phenomenal NPC behavior system in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War? Alas, the developers from the now-closed Monolith Productions studio won't be able to use their brainchild in games for another 11 years.

Nemesis became a truly unique feature of the Middle-earth duology, created specifically for this series. The system remembered the player's actions and "pumped up" previously defeated enemies, returning them with new abilities, level, and replaced body parts.

Judging by the data in Google Patents, the rights to Nemesis are still owned by Warner Bros., and the patent expires only in 2036. Therefore, the system may become just another unused asset if the corporation does not use it in future projects. But there is a possibility that Warner Bros. will allow other studios to acquire a license for Nemesis for their games, as Sega does.

It also became known that the mechanics were planned to be used in Wonder Woman, but later this idea was abandoned. The cancelled Monolith Productions project was developed as a more traditional action game.

Recall that along with the creators of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, two more internal Warner Bros. Games studios were closed.