The Secret Origin of Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis System: Fighting Back Against Used Games
Ever wondered what sparked the creation of the revolutionary Nemesis System in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor? It turns out, this iconic feature wasn't just about making orcs more memorable. It was born from a very real industry struggle: the booming used games market.
The Problem: Game Sales Slumped After Launch
Let's go back in time. Years back, the business was facing a dilemma. Games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum were critical and commercial successes when they came out. Early sales were good, but then something peculiar occurred. Sales dropped dramatically. Player activity was still high.
Analysts discovered the answer lay in the used game marketplace. Players were finishing games and selling them for store credit or cash, generally at retailers like GameStop. It was great for players and retailers, who could then sell used versions at a discount and retain profit. For game publishers and developers, though, it was a money sink. They only made money on the first sale, not resale.
Warner Bros. Seeks a Solution
Warner Bros., as with other big publishers, felt the squeeze. They charged their studios with coming up with creative solutions. One of the first attempts, in Batman: Arkham City, was to offer a one-time use DLC, gating content to the original purchase. But Monolith Productions, the developer of Shadow of Mordor, approached it differently, much more creatively.
Enter the Nemesis System: Games Too Good to Trade
Monolith's dilemma was simple. "How do we create a single-player game so interesting, so personal to every player, that they won't want to trade it in?" They needed something more, something personal. They weren't shooting for a huge open world like GTA, and they weren't exploring multiplayer.
That's how the Nemesis System was born. The idea was genius. Build a system that generates unique, dynamic enemies based on player actions. Orcs would remember losses, learn from combat, and change personalities and abilities. Your own nemesis wasn't just a storytelling tool. It was the product of your play.
The promise was these personalized enemy relationships would make Shadow of Mordor a game people would feel like holding onto, a special something worth owning, not borrowing and reselling. While the Nemesis System did not single-handedly destroy the used games market, it did make Shadow of Mordor a huge success. It solidly cemented it as a gaming phenomenon and became part of the most widely praised and most innovative game features of the past few years.
Interestingly enough, Warner Bros. patented the Nemesis System. Initial ideas for a Monolith Wonder Woman game sought to build upon that tech. Its full potential in future projects is an interesting "what if" in the history of game development.
Source: Based on details provided by former Warner Bros. Games VP Lola Fryer
