Nintendo now has a US patent on summoning characters and making them battle for you

[ThunderBoy]

As spotted by Games Fray, Nintendo was granted a patent last week which covers the action of summoning another character and making them battle on the player's behalf.

Specifically, the patent describes a situation where:

• A console or other system is being used to run a video game from storage
• The player controls a character in a "virtual space"
• The player can perform an input command to make a "sub character" appear (i.e. summon another character)
• If there's an enemy where the sub character appears, the player can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy
• If there's no enemy where the sub character appears, the sub character will automatically move around
• The player can move the sub character to a different location on the field, and if an enemy is there they can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy

The most obvious example of this patent in action is a Pokémon game, where a player can summon Pokémon and use them to battle other Pokémon on their behalf.

It could theoretically be interpreted to cover a number of other games, however. Another example could be Nintendo's Pikmin series, where players summon Pikmin (by either uprooting them or choosing them from the player's ship) and moving them to different locations, triggering fights if they hit an enemy.

There are already concerns online that Nintendo's new patent could lead to a number of lawsuits in which it sues any other company that tries to implement a summoning mechanic in its game, putting future titles in series like Persona at risk.

However, whereas trademark law says that a company could lose its trademark if it doesn't challenge any infringements, this isn't the case with patents. While Nintendo has patented this mechanic, it can choose not to pursue any other company that decides to use it, and only do so when it feels its own IP is being threatened.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com...ng-characters-and-making-them-battle-for-you/

 

[Segadude113]

As spotted by Games Fray, Nintendo was granted a patent last week which covers the action of summoning another character and making them battle on the player's behalf.

Specifically, the patent describes a situation where:

• A console or other system is being used to run a video game from storage
• The player controls a character in a "virtual space"
• The player can perform an input command to make a "sub character" appear (i.e. summon another character)
• If there's an enemy where the sub character appears, the player can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy
• If there's no enemy where the sub character appears, the sub character will automatically move around
• The player can move the sub character to a different location on the field, and if an enemy is there they can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy

The most obvious example of this patent in action is a Pokémon game, where a player can summon Pokémon and use them to battle other Pokémon on their behalf.

It could theoretically be interpreted to cover a number of other games, however. Another example could be Nintendo's Pikmin series, where players summon Pikmin (by either uprooting them or choosing them from the player's ship) and moving them to different locations, triggering fights if they hit an enemy.

There are already concerns online that Nintendo's new patent could lead to a number of lawsuits in which it sues any other company that tries to implement a summoning mechanic in its game, putting future titles in series like Persona at risk.

However, whereas trademark law says that a company could lose its trademark if it doesn't challenge any infringements, this isn't the case with patents. While Nintendo has patented this mechanic, it can choose not to pursue any other company that decides to use it, and only do so when it feels its own IP is being threatened.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com...ng-characters-and-making-them-battle-for-you/

They didn't invent the genre, but they made it popular. Now they make a patent for it decades later because of one knock off game. This is just petty.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Are Digimon games screwed?

 

[Segadude113]

Are Digimon games screwed?

well they battle in a digital space so maybe.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Give actual attorneys time for them to nulify that nonsense

 

[Scotty]

Nintendo is so pretty, man. They didn't even create the concept of capturing creatures to begin with.

 

[Turbo Kid]

 

[Ryderdog1332]

Gotta love it when companies like Nintendo hinder creative freedom out of pure pettiness and greed.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

Another reason to hate Nintendo, throw it on the pile.

 

[RustySK]

Patents on creative concepts are bad for creatives, bad for the industry and bad for consumers.
Patent law in general has been in dire need of an overhaul for decades now, this kind of thing should never even be possible in the first place.

I rarely agree with the overwhelming hatred Nintendo is getting these days, but this is genuinely messed up.
It was awful when Warner Bros. patented the Nemesis system and killed it as a concept before it could even really be explored and it's just as awful now that Nintendo is doing it.

 

[Ryderdog1332]

Patents on creative concepts are bad for creatives, bad for the industry and bad for consumers. Patent law in general has been in dire need of an overhaul for decades now.

I rarely agree with the overwhelming hatred Nintendo is getting these days, but this is genuinely messed up.
It was awful when Warner Bros. patented the Nemesis system and killed it as a concept before it could even really be explored and it's just as awful now that Nintendo is doing it.

Also, remember when Namco patented minigames during loading screens and then it finally expired in 2015, only for most loading screens to never use them since now loading screens are often very short or nonexistent? Yea screw patents on creative concepts.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

By that logic Nintendo has been infringing on Atlus for years. (There's honestly probably an even older example of summon mechanics if you dig deep enough)

 

[RustySK]

There's honestly probably an even older example of summon mechanics if you dig deep enough

Cursory research tells me the first monster catching/summoning game ever was apparently an MSX title called Cosmic Soldier!

Bet the members of its dev studio and publisher - Kogado Studio and ASCII - are kicking themselves for having basic integrity these days. Just think of all the potential they could have stifled!

 

[Ferik]

As spotted by Games Fray, Nintendo was granted a patent last week which covers the action of summoning another character and making them battle on the player's behalf.

Specifically, the patent describes a situation where:

• A console or other system is being used to run a video game from storage
• The player controls a character in a "virtual space"
• The player can perform an input command to make a "sub character" appear (i.e. summon another character)
• If there's an enemy where the sub character appears, the player can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy
• If there's no enemy where the sub character appears, the sub character will automatically move around
• The player can move the sub character to a different location on the field, and if an enemy is there they can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy

The most obvious example of this patent in action is a Pokémon game, where a player can summon Pokémon and use them to battle other Pokémon on their behalf.

It could theoretically be interpreted to cover a number of other games, however. Another example could be Nintendo's Pikmin series, where players summon Pikmin (by either uprooting them or choosing them from the player's ship) and moving them to different locations, triggering fights if they hit an enemy.

There are already concerns online that Nintendo's new patent could lead to a number of lawsuits in which it sues any other company that tries to implement a summoning mechanic in its game, putting future titles in series like Persona at risk.

However, whereas trademark law says that a company could lose its trademark if it doesn't challenge any infringements, this isn't the case with patents. While Nintendo has patented this mechanic, it can choose not to pursue any other company that decides to use it, and only do so when it feels its own IP is being threatened.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com...ng-characters-and-making-them-battle-for-you/

There's one very important specific of the patent you didn't mention. The patent very directly describes that if the summoned character comes into contact with an enemy it begins one type of battle mechanic, whereas if the primary player character comes into contact with an enemy it begins an entirely different type of battle mechanic.

It's specifically Pokemon Scarlett and Violet's auto battle feature while still allowing for manual standard battles that's being patented, not simply summoned creatures moving around and battling.

That being said, yes, it's still very stupid that this can be patented, but it's specific enough that I can't personally think of another game that currently exists that would infringe upon this. The closest might be when you split your party up in Persona 3, but that still doesn't involve the party members following your movements or directions, nor are they "summoned"

 

[030079AR]

As spotted by Games Fray, Nintendo was granted a patent last week which covers the action of summoning another character and making them battle on the player's behalf.

Specifically, the patent describes a situation where:

• A console or other system is being used to run a video game from storage
• The player controls a character in a "virtual space"
• The player can perform an input command to make a "sub character" appear (i.e. summon another character)
• If there's an enemy where the sub character appears, the player can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy
• If there's no enemy where the sub character appears, the sub character will automatically move around
• The player can move the sub character to a different location on the field, and if an enemy is there they can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy

The most obvious example of this patent in action is a Pokémon game, where a player can summon Pokémon and use them to battle other Pokémon on their behalf.

It could theoretically be interpreted to cover a number of other games, however. Another example could be Nintendo's Pikmin series, where players summon Pikmin (by either uprooting them or choosing them from the player's ship) and moving them to different locations, triggering fights if they hit an enemy.

There are already concerns online that Nintendo's new patent could lead to a number of lawsuits in which it sues any other company that tries to implement a summoning mechanic in its game, putting future titles in series like Persona at risk.

However, whereas trademark law says that a company could lose its trademark if it doesn't challenge any infringements, this isn't the case with patents. While Nintendo has patented this mechanic, it can choose not to pursue any other company that decides to use it, and only do so when it feels its own IP is being threatened.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com...ng-characters-and-making-them-battle-for-you/

Could be dangerous for those who wants to create similar pokemon game with almost the same artstyle

They might did this not only for palworld, but also some copycat who floats eversince pokemon blasted industry ages ago

Cursory research tells me the first monster catching/summoning game ever was apparently an MSX title called Cosmic Soldier!
Bet the members of its dev studio and publisher - Kogado Studio and ASCII - are kicking themselves for having basic integrity these days.

Ah i see, i was thinking if the first are megaten, i will try to look into the game as well. Thanks for the info

 

[kelthuzadinho]

so, let's say i'm playing a game as Necromancer. if i send my skeleton to battle, is it patent infringement?

 

[Muklas]

Nintendo being huge dicks? Must be a day ending in y. The fact that they could even do this is wild to me.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

If a game company created a revolutionising system I could understand the patent, not something that existed for decades.

 

[King Skeleton's icon King Skeleton King Skeleton]

Does anyone know what "We the People" could even do to voice our concerns about this? The people involved are irrelevant to how damaging behavior like this could become and I'm not even sure with how vague this is it was even acceptable. Money makes the world go 'round I guess.

 

[Zeo]

Nintendo is doing something again to look even worse?. Better keep it classic i guess

 

[Dany28]

Honestly, life is too short to think about Nintendo.

 

[qw90700]

putting future titles in series like Persona at risk.

It doesn't cause risk for Persona games because it's outside of the patent's "rules":

• If there's no enemy where the sub character appears, the sub character will automatically move around
• The player can move the sub character to a different location on the field, and if an enemy is there they can control a battle between the sub character and the enemy

However only when the game has all of the specific characteristics described in the patent only then patent becomes problematic.

Another thing is Megami Tensei video games have the gameplay they have since way before Nintendo released their first such a game called Pokemon in 1996. Megami Tensei had such a gameplay since 1987 and Persona games are a Megami Tensei game. That's why the patent Nintendo could claim was that specific because they cannot own basis of having a sub-character and then using them in battle to own such gameplay style totally. No one can have such a patent because that gameplay style used by so many games it became a public domain and because it became a public domain it cannot be a patern for it's not a novel idea (a patent has to have a specific set of novel ideas). If Nintendo had tried to sue Atlus for it Atlus lawyer would be like "but we did it first" by presenting "prior art defense" (that's why the patent the Nintendo could claim had to be outside of how Megami Tensei games and whatnot are) and the judge would announce invalidity of patent against Megami Tensei games and thus Nintendo would lose.

lolol

Instead it may endanger the Pocketpair's game Palworld because Nintendo already kinda stubborn to end Palworld lol.

 

[Turbo Kid]

Nintendo is the company that saved gaming in the 80s, made it accessible to casuals with the Wii, gave us the biggest gaming icon in Mario, revolutionized handheld gaming, and had everyone pumped for the Switch 2 despite all of the crap that's been going on in the gaming industry for years now.

With every new NIntendo news story in 2025 it's like:

 

[Zeo]

Another thing is Megami Tensei video games have the gameplay they have since way before Nintendo released their first such a game called Pokemon in 1996. Megami Tensei had such a gameplay since 1987 and Persona games are a Megami Tensei game. That's why the patent Nintendo could claim was that specific because they cannot own basis of having a sub-character and then using them in battle to own such gameplay style totally. No one can have such a patent because that gameplay style used by so many games it became a public domain and because it became a public domain it cannot be a patern for it's not a novel idea (a patent has to have a specific set of novel ideas). If Nintendo had tried to sue Atlus for it Atlus lawyer would be like "but we did it first" by presenting "prior art defense" (that's why the patent the Nintendo could claim had to be outside of how Megami Tensei games and whatnot are) and the judge would announce invalidity of patent against Megami Tensei games and thus Nintendo would lose.

Have to give a bone at Nintendo. One has to wonder how much time they wasted just to make all of that with the main idea to not mess with others that have been doing the whole "summon" gameplay for years and bite themselfs in the end

Well, the bite comes with their toxic reputation now days, but still

 

[qw90700]

Have to give a bone at Nintendo. One has to wonder how much time they wasted just to make all of that with the main idea to not mess with others that have been doing the whole "summon" gameplay for years and bite themselfs in the end

Well, the bite comes with their toxic reputation now days, but still

It's because Nintendo is a small indie company so they are nothing without their few IPs so they have to rely on other companies releasing games on their rubbish consoles and suing random people to make money too lol. These all and whatnot actually told in the Nintendo rap song lolol:

It's a rap song because Nintendo is a gang.