A publisher does not want gamers to save money when buying their games, leading to the development of one of the best and still unique features in gaming.
What feature is being referred to? It is the so-called “Nemesis System,” which was developed by Monolith Games specifically for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and was also used in the sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
In Monolith’s Middle-earth games, the mechanics generate Orc captains, each of whom has a unique, fully voiced personality and remembers past interactions with the player. Here are a few examples of how the Nemesis System works in Shadow of Mordor:
- If a captain cowardly ran away during a previous battle, he will reference that encounter during the next meeting.
- If a captain defeated you, he becomes stronger and may even boast about the victory by giving himself a new title.
In the sequel “Shadow of War,” the system was improved to provide more material for unique stories. There, some Orcs will gladly stab you in the back, while loyal captains may even come to your rescue or give you gifts.
Used games were a thorn in the publisher’s side
What does the publisher have to do with it? The Nemesis System was WB Games’ way to prevent gamers from reselling their games – as Laura Fryer explains in a video on YouTube. Fryer was responsible for Monolith Games as Vice President at WB Games.
“It all started when Rocksteady released Arkham Asylum in 2009,” Fryer begins to explain. The first game of the Arkham trilogy sold incredibly well at first, but then sales suddenly dropped. The analysis data showed that more people were playing the game than had paid for it.
The theory was that people would complete the game and then return the game disc to a retailer for a refund, which was very common at that time.
Laura Fryer
Players save money by buying used games, and retailers also benefit from this practice, but for game developers and publishers, this was a “disaster”: WB Games supposedly lost “millions of dollars” because they only made money on the sale of the first copy.
Therefore, WB Games wanted single-player games from its studios that players would not want to resell. Since Monolith’s game engine, according to Fryer, was not yet capable of supporting an open world like in GTA and the team had no interest in multiplayer, this goal had to be achieved differently.
The developer’s solution was the Nemesis System: individual enemies, friends, and rivals with whom one connects personal experiences and stories – stories that players do not want to lose.
The Nemesis System was also supposed to be used in Monolith Games’ latest game. However, this game was canceled, and the studio was closed in February 2025. You can read more about it in this article: One of the best mechanics in gaming was only used twice, and now Warner Bros. has killed it
