Overview

Nemesis System 2036 Patent Controversy, also known as Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System Patent, refers to a gaming mechanic patented by Monolith Productions and Warner Bros. Games featured in the 2014 game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and the 2017 sequel Shadow of War, which gave enemies the memory of previous encounters with the player and affected their behavior and strength. The system was patented in April 2016, drawing a lot of criticism online at the time, with the topic resurfacing in late February 2025 after Warner Bros. Discovery shut down Monolith Productions, the studio that created the system, causing even more outrage in the gaming community as its unlikely any new game will feature this mechanic until the patent expires in 2036.

Background

On June 10th, 2014, a trailer was shown during the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)^[1] gaming conference, revealing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's "Nemesis System" (seen below), which amassed more than 234,000 views and 1,800 likes in 11 years.

On April 25th, 2016, Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. filed a patent^[2] for a gaming mechanic titled "Nemesis characters, nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in computer games."

The document describes the system as methods for managing non-player characters (NPCs) and power centers in computer games. The focus of the mechanic is to create dynamic evolving NPCs, particularly "nemesis," whose characteristics change based on in-game events and player interactions, enhancing gameplay.

The patent, which is expected to expire in August 2036, also covers the concept of "social vendettas" in which a player's nemesis and their faction can be shared online for other players to confront.

Developments

2025 Monolith Productions Shut Down

On February 25th, 2025, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier revealed in a post on Bluesky^[3] that Warner Bros. Games was "shutting down Monolith Productions, Player First Games, and WB San Diego." The post (seen below) amassed more than 5,600 likes and 3,100 reposts in a day.

As news of the studio's shutting down went viral, fans lamented the wasted potential of its Nemesis System being locked in a patent until August 2036.

The X^[4] page @DiscussingFilm tweeted about the topic on February 26th, 2025, receiving over 1.5 million views and 33,000 likes in a day.

Online Reactions

Criticism and debate regarding the Nemesis System gained significant attention in February 2021 when Warner Bros. secured the patent to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.^[5]

For instance, on February 6th, 2021, X^[6] user @CaseyExplosion tweeted that reading some "replies actually congratulating Warner Bros for patenting the nemesis system is doing psychic damage this morning." The tweet received more than 3,800 likes and 730 reposts in four years.

The topic resurfaced in February 2025 after Monolith Productions' shutdown was announced and the news spread online, spawning outrage among fans of the nemesis system.

For example, on February 26th, 2025, Redditor^[7] u/Sabedena shared a news article about the topic to the /r/gaming subreddit, writing, "Shadow of Mordor's brilliant Nemesis system is locked away by a Warner Bros patent until 2036, despite studio shutdown." The post (seen below) received roughly 28,000 upvotes and 1,400 likes in a day.

Search Interest

External References