Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor sequel leaked by Target

UPDATE 2: Aside from the previously-announced standard edition and Gold Edition of, “Middle-earth: Shadow of War”, certain retailer listings have also now revealed a ‘Mithril Edition’ of the game for $299.99 USD/$399.99 CDN. The Mithril Edition contains all of the bonuses from the Gold Edition, plus a collector box, a limited 12” ‘Tar-Goroth Balrog vs. Carnan Drake’ statue, exclusive lithographs, a cloth map of Mordor, a ‘Tribes’ sticker pack, a game soundtrack, a premium case with a magnetic Ring of Power replica, and finally, an exclusive Mithril War Chest for use in the game. Pre-order incentives have also now been confirmed for all versions of, “Middle-earth: Shadow of War”, which include a weapon called the ‘Sword of Dominion’, as well as four Orc champions.

UPDATE: Warner Bros. has now officially announced, “Middle-earth: Shadow of War” with a press release and reveal trailer, confirming the August 22nd release date, along with all of Target’s prior leaked gameplay information, with a first showcase of gameplay occurring on March 8th. Sauron and the Nazghul will also be key villains in the game, with Warner Bros. also confirming that the game will be about forging a new Ring of Power with Talion and Celebrimbor, as Target’s listing claimed.

Alongside the leaked PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, “Middle-earth: Shadow of War” has also now been officially confirmed by Warner Bros. for a PC release via both Steam and the Windows 10 Store. The game will also be one of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere titles for Xbox One and Windows 10, granting both versions together with a single digital purchase of either. Finally, “Middle-earth: Shadow of War” will boast enhanced technical features and 4K support on PlayStation 4 Pro, and, most exciting of all, is the first confirmed game to support Microsoft’s upcoming 4K-enabled Xbox console, code-named ‘Project Scorpio’.

Original report follows:

 

Big box store, Target appears to have spoiled a pretty big surprise out of Warner Bros. A pre-order listing surfaced on Target’s website before being quickly removed, though not before it was spotted by NeoGAF, and subsequently picked up by major news sites like Kotaku. The listing reveals an apparent sequel to 2014’s hit action-adventure game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, complete with box art, special editions and gameplay details, which pretty blatantly cements the leak as legitimate. You can check out the listing for the game’s Xbox One version below:

Aside from Xbox One, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the apparent name of the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor follow-up, appears to be coming to PlayStation 4 as well, once again developed by Monolith Productions, with Kotaku also outing the game’s PlayStation 4 box art. The duo of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game isn’t at all surprising, though a PC version is currently unconfirmed, if also pretty likely, considering that Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor released on PC, and was well-received on that platform. Given that Warner Bros.’ upcoming triple-A fighting game, Injustice 2 is skipping PC at this point however, one should wait for official confirmation of a PC version of Middle-earth: Shadow of War, before setting aside some funds in their Steam wallet.

Details on Middle-earth: Shadow of War are obviously not extensive at this point, though the game does appear to be bringing back the Nemesis system, likely with a few refinements, as well as new Stronghold mechanics and abilities for player character, Talion. The game’s storyline also seemingly revolves around Talion and his craftsman buddy, Celebrimbor trying to forge a Ring of Power that’s on par with the might of Sauron’s One Ring.

On top of the standard $59.99 USD edition of Middle-earth: Shadow of War, both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version of the game will also offer a $99.99 USD ‘Gold Edition’, which comes with two story expansions, new character abilities, side missions, and other bonuses. There will also be Nemesis expansions in the Gold Edition, which will add a new Orc tribe, a new fortress, and a few other additions. According to the leak, both versions of Middle-earth: Shadow of War are seemingly targeting a release on August 22nd of this year.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on major developments with Middle-earth: Shadow of War, so keep provoking Eggplante for all major news and updates on the Middle-earth games.