It’s honestly kind of insane that we’re in 2026 and the Nemesis System still feels like some experimental mechanic from the future when Shadow of Mordor introduced it back in 2014.
For anyone who hasn’t followed what happened with it: Warner Bros. patented the system, the patent is still active, and the main US patent is currently listed as expiring in 2036. Monolith Productions( the studio that actually created the system) was shut down in 2025, and their Wonder Woman game, which was supposed to use the Nemesis System again, was canceled.
So we’re basically in this bizarre situation where one of the coolest systems created for open-world games is sitting there, associated with a studio that no longer exists, while almost nobody is meaningfully advancing the idea.
And I think gaming is worse off because of it.I’m not saying every open-world RPG needs to literally copy Shadow of War's Orc hierarchy.I’m saying the idea behind Nemesis should become an entire category of game design.Think about what we automatically expect from an RPG now:
Inventory.
Loot.
Skill/talent trees.
Crafting.
Companions.
Factions.
Dialogue choices.
Reputation systems.
These aren't considered special features anymore. They're part of the vocabulary of the genre.I think persistent, evolving NPC relationships should eventually belong on that list. if I fight some random bandit captain and barely escape, why should he disappear from existence five minutes later?
Why can't he remember me?
Why can't he get promoted because he defeated me?
Why can't he come back scarred from our previous fight?
Why can't another NPC hear about what happened?
Why can't killing someone's brother, commander, friend or rival dynamically affect how that character sees me?
Why can't an enemy I humiliated 20 hours ago suddenly appear while I'm doing something completely unrelated?
Why can't one player's open-world RPG generate stories that literally cannot happen in another player's playthrough?
While examples like Assassin's Creed Odyssey had its Mercenary hierarchy no game really recreated the full magic of having individual NPCs develop an ongoing history with the player and with each other.
What's your thoughts on this?
Thanks your time reading this!