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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War are licensed, movie-influenced games with their own story. The available official history and creator interviews do not establish their events as canon to Peter Jackson’s films. Licensing, creative influence, and story review are not the same as confirmation of shared film continuity.
Which Middle-earth games does this answer cover?
“Middle-earth games” can refer to many licensed titles. This answer focuses on Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) and its sequel, Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017), the games most often meant by questions about whether the Middle-earth games fit the films.
Middle-earth Enterprises’ official history dates Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King to 2001, 2002, and 2003. It lists the two Shadow games as developed by Monolith Studios and released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment under a joint license from New Line Cinema and Middle-earth Enterprises.
What the games’ creators said about their story
Shadow of Mordor was conceived as a standalone story
In a 2014 GameSpot interview, design director Michael de Plater described the aim as drawing on Tolkien’s world while telling a story suited to a game rather than retelling familiar material. He summed up the goal as “trying to be authentic and trying to tell a good standalone story.”
#1 Best Overall
- Become the most feared force in Mordor in a new chronicle set before the events of the Lord of the Rings
- Exploit the individual fears, weakness and memories of your enemies as you dismantle Sauron's forces from within.
- Harness the Spirit of vengeance to inflict brutal combos while mastering powerful new skills and weaponry.
Shadow of War continues the game series’ story
In a 2017 GameSpot interview, writer Tony Elias said Warner Bros. and Middle-earth Enterprises reviewed dialogue and story arcs. The interview presents Shadow of War as continuing the story of Talion and Celebrimbor begun in Shadow of Mordor. That supports the games’ connection to one another and shows licensor review; it does not explicitly place their events in Jackson’s film continuity.
Licensed, film-influenced, and canon are different claims
- Licensed: The official history identifies both games as released under a joint license from New Line Cinema and Middle-earth Enterprises.
- Film-influenced: The creators discussed Jackson’s adaptations as a reference point. Influence can shape tone or presentation without making every game event part of the films’ timeline.
- Reviewed by licensors: Elias reported that dialogue and story arcs were reviewed. Review is not, by itself, a published continuity ruling.
- Original game story: The creators describe a standalone story and discuss adapting material to the needs of an action game.
What can be concluded about film continuity?
The official history and interviews cited here do not explicitly declare the Shadow games either canon or non-canon to Jackson’s movies. So the careful answer is that their film-canon status is not established by these sources. Treat them as their own licensed Middle-earth story, rather than assuming that licensing or familiar film influences make their events part of the movies.
Rank #2
- Become the most feared force in Mordor in a new chronicle set before the events of the Lord of the Rings
- Exploit the individual fears, weakness and memories of your enemies as you dismantle Sauron's forces from within
- Harness the Spirit of vengeance to inflict brutal combos while mastering powerful new skills and weaponry
This conclusion is limited to the evidence cited above: it is not a scene-by-scene audit of every game event against the films, nor proof that no formal continuity statement exists elsewhere.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- PLAY THE DEFINITIVE EDITION OF MIDDLE-EARTH: SHADOW OF WAR FROM THE AWARD-WINNING MONOLITH STUDIOS
- Winner of over 60 awards and nominations, conquer Mordor for the Bright Lord and enjoy 50+ hours of story content, 3 playable characters and the expansive Nemesis System.
- The Definitive Edition includes all DLC Slaughter Tribe Nemesis Expansion Outlaw Tribe Nemesis Expansion Blade of Galadriel Story Expansion Desolation of Mordor Story Expansion
Rank #4
- Immerse yourself in the epic scale of Middle-Earth as you forge a new ring and siege epic fortresses to face the dark lord and Nazgul.
- Experience a richer and more personal world full of new enemy types, stronger personalities and deeper stories - anyone you face can now evolve from a lowly soldier to a mighty overlord.
- Go behind enemy lines and use strategy, cunning or brute force to conquer Sauron' s fortresses and turn them against him.
Rank #3
- Harness the Spirit of vengeance to inflict brutal combos while mastering powerful new skills and weaponry.
- Exploit the individual fears, weakness and memories of your enemies as you dismantle Sauron's forces from within.
- Become the most feared force in Mordor in a new chronicle set before the events of the Lord of the Rings.
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