The Nemesis System was made so people wouldn’t sell off their Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor copies

What do you do when you’ve finished a single-player game? You could go for another run, but unless you really liked the story or have some collectibles you’ve missed, you might not think it’s worth it. If you’ve got a physical copy, you could always get some money back, which is apparently what many players of Batman: Arkham Asylum thought.

That’s according to Laura Freyr, former WB Games executive, who explained why the Nemesis System came about. According to a video on her YouTube channel, when WB realised more people were playing than had paid for Batman: Arkham Asylum, they devised a system to ensure more replayability for gamers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5f65WksXqA/

With limitations on what Monolith could accomplish, the Nemesis System was the solution that the team came up with. Allowing enemies to have their own stories, and their own personal hatred of you as a player was something special, and it definitely helped Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel stand out.

It’s a shame, then, that the Nemesis System is essentially locked to those two games. After WB secured the patent, then shuttered Monolith earlier this year, it seems unlikely we’ll see the mechanic return for at least a decade.