Warner Bros Discovery recently shut down a trio of game studios, including the well-regarded Monolith Productions. This has put one of the coolest game mechanics of the 2010s in limbo. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's excellent Nemesis system is locked behind a patent owned by Warner Bros all the way until 2036,

The Nemesis system, for those unfamiliar, is a clever in-game mechanic which tracks a player's actions to create enemies that feel capable of remembering past encounters. In the studio's Middle-earth games, this allowed foes to rise through the ranks and enact revenge.

Yesterday’s shock news that Warner Bros. had shut down three studios and canceled its Wonder Woman game sent shockwaves throughout the industry and the gaming community at large. And as the dust settles on yet another devastating round of cuts, fans of Monolith Productions’ much-loved Nemesis System are lamenting its "wasted potential."