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What the Nemesis patent covers
US Patent 10,926,179 B2, titled “Nemesis characters, nemesis forts, social vendettas and followers in computer games,” describes methods for managing non-player characters (NPCs) and power centers in a game. Its abstract focuses on character hierarchies and individualized links between a character’s traits or rank and events involving other NPCs or objects. It also describes sharing power centers, hierarchies, NPCs and related quests between separate game instances over a network. The grant issued on February 23, 2021. Read the patent.
That description is narrower than saying Warner Bros. owns every mechanic in which an NPC remembers a player or reacts to past encounters. Whether a particular game feature falls within a patent’s claims is a legal question that cannot be answered from the title or abstract alone.
What the public records say about ownership
The patent-family record lists US 10,926,179 B2 as active and records a maintenance-fee payment on August 7, 2024. It also lists related active grants, including US 11,660,540 B2 and US 12,201,908 B2, as well as a further pending application. These are patent-database status reports, not legal opinions. See the patent-family record.
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A separate family-record entry, dated October 1, 2025, identifies a security interest in favor of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as collateral agent. The listed effective date is September 29, 2025, and the assignors include Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and related companies. A collateral security interest is not, by itself, evidence of an outright sale or that Warner Bros. no longer owns or controls the patent. The careful conclusion is that public records continue to associate Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. with the family while also documenting the collateral assignment. View the assignment entry.
How long could the US patent remain in force?
The USPTO says utility patents generally expire 20 years after the application filing date, subject to maintenance fees, and notes that it does not calculate an individual patent’s expiration date. Maintenance fees are generally due 3½, 7½ and 11½ years after the original grant; a missed payment can result in expiration. Patent term may also be adjusted or extended in some circumstances. USPTO: Maintain your patent · USPTO: Managing a patent.
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- Become the most feared force in Mordor in a new chronicle set before the events of the Lord of the Rings
- Exploit the individual fears, weakness and memories of your enemies as you dismantle Sauron's forces from within
- Harness the Spirit of vengeance to inflict brutal combos while mastering powerful new skills and weaponry
The patent-family record displays an adjusted expiration date of August 11, 2036 for US 10,926,179 B2. Treat that as a database estimate, not a universally certified end date: maintenance, adjustments, disclaimers and the official record can affect the result. Related grants may have different dates.
Does the patent apply worldwide?
No worldwide conclusion follows from these records. The family record’s country-status section lists US cases, so it establishes a US patent family record—not protection in every country. The materials cited here do not establish patent protection in any particular foreign jurisdiction.
Rank #3
- Harness the Spirit of vengeance to inflict brutal combos while mastering powerful new skills and weaponry.
- Exploit the individual fears, weakness and memories of your enemies as you dismantle Sauron's forces from within.
- Become the most feared force in Mordor in a new chronicle set before the events of the Lord of the Rings.
What this means for future Nemesis-style games
The records establish a patent family and its reported status; they do not establish what Warner Bros. will do with the technology, whether it will license it, or whether another studio could build a similar feature without infringing. The patent’s abstract and status alone cannot settle those questions. Nor do they explain why a new game using the system has or has not been announced.
The patent grant names Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor in its cited references, and the system is associated with that game. Middle-earth: Shadow of War is also a related game readers may have in mind, but the cited patent records do not verify current platform availability, retailer stock, formats or prices.
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