Monolith's Nemesis system was created to keep players invested in the game for as long as possible
, by Thibaut
The closure of Monolith last month (and the cancellation of Wonder Woman in turn) reminded everyone of the existence of the excellent Nemesis system.
Used in both Middle-earth games, this feature made enemy AI more realistic. Indeed, opponents could remember the player's actions and make decisions accordingly, such as appointing a new officer. This system also provided a real dose of replayability, and this was the main reason for creating this element.
This is what Laura Fryer, former vice-president of Warner Bros. Games Studios, revealed in a recent video. In particular, she explains that Nemesis was designed to prevent users from forgetting the game after completing it. At the time, the aim was to counter the second-hand market, which didn't net publishers a single cent.
"With Shadow, we faced the same problem."
"How do we create a single-player game that is so compelling, that people keep the disc in their library forever? We knew Monolith's game engine wasn't yet capable of having a fully open world like a GTA, and this team wasn't interested in going the multiplayer route. But we still had to solve for the constraint."
"And this thinking is what led to the Nemesis system, arguably one of the most creative and coolest game features in recent memory."