Nintendo’s Pokémon-Style Battle Patent Hit by U.S. Patent Office Rejection
Nintendo just hit a roadblock in their Pokémon-style battle patent. The gaming giant has worked hard to patent their iconic “summon a character and let it fight” gaming style.
The patent by Nintendo was filed last year in retaliation against Palword. And with the recent release of Pickmon, another Pokémon-style game, it just adds more tension to the legal battle.
But now, the legal battle has hit a roadbump. The hope is to earn the rights of the game mechanic that involves summoning characters, and then the ability to let summoned characters act either independently or under player direction.
However, on April 1, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected all 26 claims in patent NO. 12,403,397 after re-examination. According to Games Fray, the rejection was due to Nintendo not filing a response to the USPTO head opening a reexamination of the patent late last year.
It’s important to note that this is a non-final rejection, which means Nintendo still has two months to respond to the rejection, though the time frame can be extended.
According to PC Gamer, the patent was an “embarrassing failure of the US patent system” to begin with, due to its broad nature. The summoning characters into battle style is very prominent in other genres, including action RPGs and beyond. Some outlets have brought up Persona and Elden Ring as examples as well.
'An embarrassing failure of the US patent system': Videogame IP lawyer says Nintendo's latest patents on Pokémon mechanics 'should not have happened, full stop' https://t.co/MR4yGArpaX
— PC Gamer (@pcgamer) September 10, 2025
According to reports, the USPTO relied on prior art from older US patent applications, including Konami in 2002, Bandai Namco in 2020, and two from Nintendo itself. According to Tech Spot, the office apparently did not look at Palworld to conclude the claims were too broad and insufficiently original in their current form.
Why Developers Are Noticing
While the patent might sound exactly like Pokémon, which would make sense, why they’re fighting for the rights, the mechanic is actually pretty vague. With that being said, developers might be up against a challenge if the patent goes through, with a very old idea in a game suddenly becoming risky territory.
Many are worried that if a patent were approved, Nintendo could use it against other games with summoning systems. While the summoning-and-battle system is very iconic to Pokémon, this weakens the idea that it deserves the kind of protection Nintendo had won last year.
VGC reported USPTO Director John A. Squires personally ordered it in November 2025, which the outlet said was the first time since 2012 that a director had done so without another company formally stepping in. The move appeared tied to public concern about whether the patent was too broad.
What Nintendo Likely Does Next
With this being a non-final rejection, Nintendo’s next move is most likely going to be to save as much of the patent as it can. Nintendo will not likely walk away. Even one claim could still be useful in future infringement fights.
PC Gamer found that if the USPTO sticks to its position after Nintendo responds, the company could still appeal to the Federal Circuit. The next part will most likely be a slower process and more technical.
For many developers, this is good news, as a patent that could be dangerous has been knocked off balance, and the idea of summoning characters into battle looks al ot less locked down in the U.S. than it did a few months ago.
