Middle-earth: Shadow of War will miss its initial launch target, developer Monolith Productions announced today. The action-adventure sequel to the popular Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was intended to launch on August 22, 2017.
In a statement by Monolith, the company said “Middle-earth: Shadow of War will now launch worldwide on Oct. 10 2017,” while acknowledging that certain territories might have slightly different release dates. “Monolith is committed to delivering the highest-quality experience. In order to do this, we have made the difficult decision to move out launch date to ensure that Middle-earth: Shadow of War will deliver on that promise.
“We understand that it might be disappointing to have to wait a little longer for the release and are sorry for the delay,” the statement continued, “but we are working hard to make an amazing game. We’re excited to show more at E3.”
While the statement from Monolith did not give a specific reason for the delay, the one-and-a-half-month pushback likely doesn’t indicate anything too tumultuous, as more lengthy delays often do. Of course, Shadow of War is not the first or even the highest-profile game to be delayed this year, as Rockstar Games announced last month that Red Dead Redemption 2 would miss it’s 2017 launch window and release in Spring of 2018.
No high-profile title is currently slated for the same release weekend as October 10, 2017. The nearest game currently announced is South Park: The Fractured But Whole, which will release on October 17, following two delays of its own. It’s also worth noting that Middle-earth: Shadow of War‘s original release date would have put it in competition with Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
