Nintendo Secures Patent for 'Summoning,' Raising Concerns for the Gaming Community

Nintendo is raising eyebrows across the industry and sparking debate about the future of creativity in gaming.

By Tim Uhlott|Last updated: September 13, 2025|3 minutes read

game development

Nintendo Secures Patent for 'Summoning,' Raising Concerns for the Gaming Community

Nintendo may be best known for its family-friendly image, but recently, the company has been aggressively pursuing patents that are starting to rattle the games industry. In recent years, Nintendo has secured a series of patents that many see as targeted directly at Palworld, the Pokémon competitor developed by Pocketpair. Parlworld has already been forced to make changes to avoid protracted legal battles. Nintendo’s latest patent filing covers the gameplay mechanic of summoning a character and having it fight another. Filed in March 2023, the patent was granted without objection from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on September 2, 2025. Critics say this is a direct threat not only to Palworld but to a wide range of existing and future games that rely on similar mechanics. Nintendo's aggressive patenting is facilitated by the difficulty patent offices have in finding prior art, which often resides in existing games rather than patent archives. Unlike fields where innovations are documented in technical journals or filings, prior examples in gaming typically exist as playable titles, not as patent literature. This makes it easier for gameplay patents to slip through the system.

Why Gamers Should Care

This isn’t just about Palworld. This is about the future of creativity in gaming. If Nintendo can patent such broad mechanics, other companies are going to follow suit. Game studios won’t just be competing to make fun games, but they’ll be competing to lock down everyday gameplay ideas. In the worst-case scenario, studios that lose market share might turn to patent monetization, either by demanding royalties or by selling rights to licensing firms, commonly referred to as “patent trolls.” And if smaller developers can’t afford to fight? They’ll either scrap mechanics entirely or pay royalties to keep them in.

Conclusion

For now, Nintendo’s latest patents stand as a warning. While they may protect company assets, they also risk stifling creativity and innovation across the gaming world. With developers large and small watching closely, the industry must decide whether to adapt to this new trend or to push back against it.