'Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War' Delayed To October 10

When Monolith announced Middle-earth: Shadow of War at GDC, the game was set for an August 22 release date. However, it seems that fans will have to wait a little longer to see how Talion and Celebrimbor fight Sauron’s forces, because the studio announced today that the game was delayed to October 10.

The short announcement on the WB Games community site doesn’t list a specific reason for the delay other than the team wanting to devote more time to “delivering the highest quality experience.” The statement covers all major aspects of gameplay, such as its open-world exploration, RPG elements, and the unique Nemesis system. In our early preview of the game, Monolith art director Matthew Allen told us Shadow of War would feature even more regions than the original Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which had only two large maps. He said that these areas would be even larger than the original two maps, but he didn’t specify the actual number of areas we’ll see in the game.

Aside from the new maps, the game will also introduce other new mechanics to the series, such as multiple sets of gear, which will include different stats and bonuses; the ability to use drakes to fly around during combat; and fortress sieges, which is how you can take down Orc overlords, the high-ranking officers within Sauron’s army.

Even though Monolith delayed the game by two months, it still plans to show off more content for fans at E3. If you can’t make it to the show, you can always read up on our interview with Allen, which also includes some early gameplay footage.