Nemesis System Still Owned By Warner Bros. Despite Monolith Productions Shutting Down

Just last evening, we got the unfortunate news that Warner Bros. Games was shutting down three of its studios, one of which was Monolith Productions. This studio has been around for ages, and it has left quite a sting on fans. After their incredible work with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its follow-up title, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, fans were eager for their next game. We knew that they would be working on the franchise Wonder Woman, and with it, the game would include their praised Nemesis system.

If you played either of the Middle-earth games, you probably recall the Nemesis system. Even if you didn’t play those games, you’ve likely still heard about this carefully crafted system Monolith Productions brought out. Fans were hyped about it, and it received a ton of praise—so much so that Warner Bros. quickly patented the system, leaving it locked under their control.

For those unfamiliar, the Nemesis system allowed enemies to account for players’ actions. Enemies might have different comments or visions of their appearance from a previous battle. It added just another level of immersion in the game that was, frankly, very cool. But it wasn’t so cool that this got patented because we haven’t seen this system used since. That’s until we learned it was being incorporated into the Wonder Woman game.

Now that this studio has been axed alongside the Wonder Woman game, some might wonder what might happen to the Nemesis system. According to Eurogamer, they have dug through the patent and found that it’s still in control of Warner Bros. In fact, they will have control of this system until 2036 at the least. So we might see it brought back out in a future production under Warner Bros. Games. However, we’re left in the dark right now on what the future might hold for this company now that they have started to restructure.

Are you looking for more insight into the Nemesis system and other gameplay mechanics locked behind companies? Check out our video on it and a few others below.