Nintendo Secures Broad ‘Summoning’ Patent, Raising Industry Concerns

Lead Nintendo and The Pokémon Company were granted U.S. Patent No. 12,403,397 on September 2, 2025, covering a system to summon a “sub-character” and trigger battles, a move critics warn could stifle game innovation worldwide.

Nut Graf The patent outlines a step-by-step mechanic-from summoning to automatic and player-controlled combat-and arrives amid ongoing Palworld litigation, fueling fears that Nintendo may enforce it against other developers and curb common gameplay features.

Patent Details

• Patent No. 12,403,397 was issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office without objection, despite covering mechanics seen in franchises like Pokémon and Pikmin.
• Core claims require:
  • A game stored on a computing device running on a non-transitory medium.
  • Player movement of a main character in “virtual space.”
  • Input-driven summoning of a “sub-character.”
  • Conditional branching to manual or automatic battle based on enemy proximity.
  • Post-summon directional input for the sub-character to engage foes.

Industry Reaction

Videogame IP attorney Kirk Sigmon called the allowance “an embarrassing failure of the US patent system,” noting the patent was approved with minimal prior-art review and could be used to “bully” competitors lacking legal resources.

Palworld Context

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company sued Palworld developer Pocketpair last September in Japan over related monster-capture and riding patents. While those Japanese patents target specific capture and mount mechanics, this U.S. grant extends Nintendo’s arsenal and could broaden its legal reach.

What Happens Next

Analysts predict that, although Nintendo may not immediately pursue every infringer, the mere existence of this broad patent could deter studios-especially indies-from implementing similar summoning systems, impacting future titles across genres.