Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have brought some of the world’s most successful video games to fruition, including the huge critical successes that were the Batman Arkham series of games and the LEGO titles that continue to find their way onto shelves, with new properties being added what seems like every few months.

Later this year, the publisher and developer will be releasing Injustice 2, the sequel to the massively successful Injustice: Gods Among Us DC fighting game, but that’s not the only title they’ve got in their schedule. Following the hype and many Game of the Year Awards that Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor picked up after its 2014 release, it should come as no surprise that a sequel has been developed and will be released a little later this year.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is that sequel and you can check out the first official trailer for the game above ahead of release on August 25, 2017. President David Haddad at Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment commented:

“Monolith Productions continues to innovate by introducing deeper, more personalised gameplay experiences, coupled with authentic storytelling. Middle-earth: Shadow of War truly drives the genre forward by taking the Nemesis System to new heights and allowing players to create their own personal journey with Middle-earth.”

Thrusting players right back into the heart of a fresh, original story featuring heroes they’ve already been introduced to, Talion and Celebrimbor, gamers will this time wield a new Ring of Power. Of course, with that power comes a lot of baggage, with players forced to confront some of the world’s most dangerous enemies including Sauron himself. The action-adventure game uses the newly-expanded Nemesis System to apply personalization to all actions the player takes, meaning the world, environments and characters around each individual playing the game will be shaped accordingly.

Of course those behind the game are going to have to do something very special if they’re to reach the dizzying heights and standard set out by the original. When creating a sequel for a title like this, there’s always the risk you’ll leave a dark stain on the franchise rather than adding to it.

In saying that, the addition of this new Nemesis System certainly looks to be a huge step in the right direction. If each individual player can truly create a world different to the one their peers are playing in through their in-game choices, there’s no end to the possibilities that could take place. That’s certainly exciting.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War will be available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro and Project Scorpio from August 25, 2017.