The United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) has revoked a patent it granted Nintendo last year, based on a gameplay mechanic used in other games.
Last September, Nintendo was granted a US patent which covered the action of summoning another character and making them battle on the player's behalf.
Two months later USPTO director John A Squires personally ordered a re-examination of the patent – the first time since 2012 that a USPTO director had personally done so without another company officially getting involved – citing previous patents which might have made it invalid.
Now, as reported by Games Fray, the USPTO has decided to 'reject' all 26 claims made in the patent, meaning it has now been revoked.
This is a non-final decision – Nintendo how has two months to respond, or longer if it asks for an extension, and there can be an appeal made to the Federal Circuit if it doesn't agree with the decision.