An official sequel to 2014’s Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor has been announced by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The sequel brings back Talion and Calebrimbor, now deep behind enemy lines in Mordor set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
“Monolith Productions continues to innovate by introducing deeper, more personalized gameplay experiences, coupled with authentic storytelling,” said David Haddad, President of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Middle-earth: Shadow of War truly drives the genre forward by taking the Nemesis System to new heights and allowing players to create their own personal journey within Middle-earth.”
The Nemesis System was the stand-out feature from the original game. Evil orc generals were procedurally generated, acting as mini-boss battles. Defeating them was highly rewarding, but orcs who survived a battle would remember the encounter and seek revenge. It added an intriguing layer of emergent storytelling that elevated Shadow of Mordor above other third-person action games.
Shadow of War will expand their signature feature with Followers and Fortresses. These additions will further add unique personal storytelling as they carve a path through the orc armies.
“We massively expanded every dimension of the game, including the world, the story, the RPG systems, the core gameplay, and of course the personal player stories of the Nemesis System,” said Michael de Plater, VP Monolith Productions. “As lifelong fans of Middle-earth, we are so grateful to have the privilege to bring to life the most incredible fantasy world ever created in a new way, for a new generation. With Middle-earth: Shadow of War, we can’t wait to see the amazing stories players are going to create and share.”
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will launch on PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Project Scorpio, and PC (Windows Store and Steam) on August 25, 2017. Shadow of War will launch as an Xbox Play Anywhere title, meaning one purchase will work for both Windows Store and Xbox One versions and allow for cross–play between them.
