The Nemesis system in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a response to the sales of used copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum

The Nemesis system, which has become the hallmark of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, was developed as a response to the problem of reselling used copies of Batman: Arkham Asylum, which affected the publisher's profits.

Here's What We Know

In 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum demonstrated high sales at launch, but quickly faced the problem of reselling used copies. This led to the fact that many players received the game without buying new discs, which negatively affected the publisher's profits.

Faced with this situation, WB Games tasked Monolith Productions with creating a single-player game that would keep players engaged for a long time and reduce the desire to sell discs after completion.

This is how the Nemesis system was born, which works as follows: when you meet an enemy and he defeats you, he can grow in rank and become stronger. And if you defeat him, you can influence his fate by killing him or pardoning him. If you do not kill him, the enemy may remember this act of mercy and even become your ally in the future.

And it was really innovative, but the problem is that the patent for the Nemesis system remains with Warner Bros. until 2036 and it is unlikely that we will see it now after Monolith closes.

Source: Laura Fryer