this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2025
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Ex-Warner Bros. Exec Reveals the Real Reason Shadow of Mordor's Much-Loved Nemesis System Was Created (www.ign.com)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor is remembered for many reasons, but perhaps best of all for its Nemesis system, an incredible mechanic for generating memorable Orc encounters. According to a former executive, the Nemesis system came about from trying to solve a different problem: secondhand sales.

In a new video, Laura Fryer — former vice president of WB Games who oversaw the publisher's Seattle studios at the time — talked about her time with Monolith. While discussing the way trend-chasing affects the industry, Fryer mentioned that chasing trends is what "literally led to the Nemesis system."

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Yet with the sudden closure of Monolith Productions and cancellation of its Wonder Woman project, that particular success seems doomed to life in the vault. Though the Nemesis system was due to be implemented in the Wonder Woman game, Warner Bros. still owns the patent for the system, which stands with an expiration date in 2036.

The fact that a game mechanic can be patented for over 20 years is fucking insane...

[–] [email protected] 42 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Copyright laws have been flawed for at least a century and they've only gotten worse in the last few decades. I (mostly) blame Disney

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Copyright is very different from patent. Almost totally unrelated. Both are fucked up but in completely separate ways.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 days ago

Shit, my bad. That's what I get for not going to law school like Mom wanted

[–] [email protected] 5 points 6 days ago

The mickey mouse law

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I wonder how well the patent would stick though? If someone implements a similar enough system and it's taken to court the whole patent could be invalidated if the court rules against it

Still, I wonder how many genuinely fun concepts and systems for video games have been locked behind patents. I don't even buy AAA titles anymore, they're all gobshite because of the MBA vermin

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

There's a good chance it wouldn't stick depending on many factors, but it's extremely expensive to fight in court, and courts have shown themselves to be very hit or miss with technological things. Especially when trying to apply rules that were not written with things like software in mind.