Update 3: Warner Bros. provided extended gameplay footage from the game. The video features an Xbox logo in the beginning so I’m guessing Microsoft has marketing rights for Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
Update 2: The collector’s edition leaked as well. Is there anything about this game that hasn’t leaked? If you look at the map, it appears that the Pelennor Fields and Minas Tirith are playable areas.
Update 1: The game got a trailer and official announcement. Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be available for Xbox One, Project Scorpio and Windows 10 on August 22. The game will be available as an Xbox Play Anywhere title.
A new listing by Target has leaked what appears to be a sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Available for preorder right now, Middle-earth: Shadow of War is set to release on August 22, 2017 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 according to the listings shown. Until Target takes them down, preorders for the base game and a Gold Edition are up for $59.99 and $99.99, respectively.
Item details:
Go behind enemy lines to forge your army, conquer Fortresses and dominate Mordor from within. Experience how the award winning Nemesis System creates unique personal stories with every enemy and follower, and confront the full power of the Dark Lord Sauron and his Ringwraiths in this epic new story of Middle-earth.
In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, nothing will be forgotten.
Item Details:
Gold Edition includes:
• Slaughter Tribe Nemesis Expansion
• Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion
• The Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion
• The Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion
• Gold War Chest
• Over $125 in total value
Nemesis Expansions include a new Orc Tribe featuring new enemies, followers, missions, abilities, weapons, Fortress and wilderness updates, and a Mythic Gear Set.
Story Expansions introduce a new campaign, playable character & abilities, side missions, enemies, allies & more.
Experience an epic open-world brought to life by the award-winning Nemesis System. Forge a new Ring of Power, conquer Fortresses in massive battles and dominate Mordor with your personal Orc army in Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor released in 2014 and was regarded as an excellent addition to The Lord of the Rings universe. With its innovative Nemesis System, players could interact with NPCs in a unique way as the AI would remember previous encounters and react accordingly. Seeing as the release date is listed for August, although that may not be accurate, I would expect an official announcement to come soon, by E3 in June at the latest. Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is scheduled to make an announcement of some sort on March 8, however that was previously assumed to be about a possible addition to the Batman: Arkham series. It looks like it could include Shadow of War as well if the details in these listings pan out.
Source: Reddit
Jennifer is a games journalist, former games journalist and PR Manager at Gearbox. They contributed 234 articles to ICXM between 2015–2017, focused on opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: went on to write for Windows Central and later managed PR for Gearbox Software.