🎮 Nintendo Patents Gameplay Mechanics It Didn’t Invent—Because Why Not?

In a move that has the gaming world collectively blinking in disbelief, Nintendo has been granted two patents so broad they might as well have copyrighted breathing in a video game. The patents, approved in September 2025, cover the mechanics of summoning a secondary character to fight (think Pokémon) and smoothly switching between rideable creatures (think Pokémon Legends: Arceus). And yes, they’re real. And yes, they’re as absurd as they sound.

🧠 What Nintendo Patented (Spoiler: Not Their Ideas)

Let’s break it down. The first patent (No. 12,403,397) essentially says: if your game lets you summon a little helper who fights for you, Nintendo owns that now. The second patent (No. 12,409,387) says: if your game lets you switch between rideable creatures without a loading screen or awkward animation, Nintendo owns that too.

To be clear, these aren’t new ideas. Summoning mechanics have been around since Final Fantasy was pixelated and moody. Smooth mount switching? MMOs have been doing that since dial-up. But Nintendo, in its infinite wisdom, decided to slap a legal sticker on them and call it innovation.

🧪 The Legal Logic: “We Made It Popular, So It’s Ours”

Nintendo’s logic seems to be: “We didn’t invent it, but we made it famous, so now it’s ours.” It’s like someone patenting pizza because they added pineapple and made it controversial.

The patents are so broad they could theoretically apply to any game where:

• You summon a creature.
• It fights something.
• Or it doesn’t fight anything and just follows you around like a confused puppy.
• Or you ride something and switch to riding something else.
• Or you breathe near a creature and it responds.

Okay, maybe not that last one. But you get the idea.

⚔️ Palworld: The First Casualty

Pocketpair, the developer behind Palworld (aka “Pokémon with guns”), is already feeling the heat. They’ve had to change mechanics like gliding with Pals and summoning them with balls—because apparently, balls are now intellectual property. Nintendo’s lawyers are reportedly sharpening their Pokéballs for battle, and Palworld’s devs are just trying to survive without getting sued into oblivion.

🧑‍⚖️ Mods Don’t Count, Apparently

Nintendo’s legal team argues that mods like Pixelmon (Minecraft) and Pocket Souls (Dark Souls) don’t count as “prior art.” Which is hilarious, because mods are often the birthplace of innovation. But sure, let’s pretend they don’t exist so we can pretend we invented summoning monsters in 2023.

🧨 Why This Is a Problem (Besides the Obvious)

These patents could set a dangerous precedent. If Nintendo can patent gameplay mechanics it didn’t invent, what’s stopping other companies from doing the same? Imagine:

• EA patents “loot boxes.”
• Ubisoft patents “climbing towers to unlock map.”
• Bethesda patents “bugs as features.”

Suddenly, indie developers are tiptoeing through a minefield of legal nonsense just to make a game where you ride a llama and throw a boomerang.

😂 The Irony: Nintendo’s Own Games Borrow Heavily

Let’s not forget that Nintendo’s own catalog is a glorious Frankenstein of borrowed ideas:

• Pokémon was inspired by bug collecting and monster-raising games like Shin Megami Tensei.
• Pikmin’s mechanics echo real-time strategy games.
• Even Zelda’s open-world design took notes from Skyrim and Breath of the Wild’s own predecessor, Xenoblade Chronicles.

So the idea that Nintendo is now gatekeeping mechanics it didn’t invent is… well, peak Nintendo.

🎯 Final Thoughts: Patent Trolls in Mario Hats?

Nintendo has always been protective of its IP, but this feels like a new level of “we own fun now.” The gaming community is watching closely, and developers are nervously checking their code for anything that might resemble a “sub character” or a “ride switch.”

If this trend continues, we might need to patent sarcasm before Nintendo does.