Middle-earth: Shadow of War release date set following early leak

Following yesterday's leak, the sequel to Warner Bros and Monolith Productions' Shadow of Mordor—Middle-earth: Shadow of War—has now been formally confirmed. Available via Steam and the Windows Store as a Play Anywhere game, prospective players can refamiliarise themselves with the Nemesis System come August 25, 2017.

Set to boast a "richer, more personal and expansive world" over its forerunner, Shadow of War's story again plays out between Tolkien's The Hobbit and The of the Rings tales—this time with a new cast of characters, locations and baddies.

Some of that can be seen in the following announcement trailer:

Notice there mention of a "gameplay reveal" on March 8, which should explore more of the game's features and mechanics in action, such as the expanded Nemesis System and its Nemesis Fortresses—the latter of which allows players to "utilize different strategies to conquer dynamic strongholds and create personalized worlds with their unique Orc army"—as well as its cast of intelligent procedurally-generated enemies.

Shadow of War is due August 25, and will do well to follow its impressive predecessor's lead—"the Middle-Earth game to rule them all," as Leif suggested in his 2014 review.