Middle-earth: Shadow of War announced, first trailer released

Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced the next entry in the Lord of the Rings video game series, Middle-earth: Shadow of War.

Unveiled Monday alongside a new cinematic trailer after the title had been leaked on Target's international website, Shadow of War continues the adventures of Talion and his ghostly companion Celebrimbor following the events of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

The clip features Talion getting ready for war against the all-powerful Sauron and his Orc army.

"In Middle-earth: Shadow of War, players wield a new Ring of Power and confront the deadliest of enemies, including Sauron and his Nazgul, in a monumental battle for Middle-earth," reads the synopsis.

"The open-world action-adventure game is brought to life through the expansion of the award-winning Nemesis System. The robust personalization from the first game is now applied to the entire world where the environments and characters are all shaped by player actions and decisions, creating a personal world unique to every gameplay experience," it continues.

The title is set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

"Following the amazing reception to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, we massively expanded every dimension of the game, including the world, the story, the RPG systems, the core gameplay, and of course the personal player stories of the Nemesis System," added Michael de Plater, VP of the game's developer Monolith Productions.

"As lifelong fans of Middle-earth, we are so grateful to have the privilege to bring to life the most incredible fantasy world ever created in a new way, for a new generation. With Middle-earth: Shadow of War, we can't wait to see the amazing stories players are going to create and share," he continued.

Shadow of War launches for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC on Aug. 22 for North America and Aug. 25 for Europe.