Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is based on Batman game that didn’t come out

Open-world game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor released in 2014 is based in part on a Batman game that was being worked on. However, that game was eventually shelved. A journalist who spoke with the developers made a video about this.

Shadow of Mordor was created by Monolith Productions, a studio that Warner Bros. was bought and at the time made fame with its horror shooters in the FEAR series. According to research by video channel DidYouKnowGaming, after the acquisition, the developers no longer wanted to make another game in that series and started working on an open world game in the Batman universe.

For the Batman game, which was given the temporary name Project Apollo, Monolith adapted its LithTech engine. That engine was used for the linear FEAR shooters and had to be converted to make an open world game possible. The plan was for the Batman game to coincide with the Christopher Nolan-directed movie The Dark Knight, which came out in 2008.

Project Apollo ultimately came to nothing, however, because Monolith Productions did not get permission from Nolan to make a game. Although Warner Bros. owning the Batman rights, a game that ties into the film also required specific permission from the director. There would have been votes to make it a game based on the Batman comics, but because developer Rocksteady was already successful with Batman: Arkham Asylum, a game that is not based on Batman movies, it was dropped.

In mid-2011, Project Apollo would have been put on hold for good. Still, the efforts of Monolith Productions were not wasted, developers say to the investigative journalist who made the video. The developers say Shadow of Mordor ended up using a lot of the technology. The system of fighting in the game would be based on ideas for the Batman game and so would the technique of making the orcs look different every time. According to some developers, early prototypes of Shadow of Mordor used a Batman model with a sword.

The full story about the similarities between the games is explained in a video from DidYouKnowGaming. It also includes images of Project Apollo and the creation of Shadow of Mordor from the earlier Project Hydra is explained.