Analysis - Bethesda's Next RPGs and Nemesis

Charlie Stewart of Game Rant makes a parallel between Bethesda's RPGs and the Nemesis System used in Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War.

Bethesda Needs to Learn From Shadow of War’s Nemesis System

The open worlds of Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 could greatly benefit from the dynamic storytelling of Shadow of War's Nemesis system.

The Nemesis System was developed across Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, creating dynamic stories with otherwise procedurally generated orcs by factoring in their relationships to one another, their ever-changing loyalties, their fears, and their desire for revenge. Although the system was patented by Warner Bros, it hasn’t stopped the games' innovation from pushing other developers to find creative new ways to tell dynamic stories in their worlds.

Bethesda in particular could learn a lot from the Nemesis System as it embarks on two major projects which will determine its success in the 2020s. Both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 need to figure out ways to take their open worlds to the next level while still focusing on the freedom that defined earlier Bethesda titles. Mechanics which create their own stories like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War’s Nemesis System could be exactly what the studio’s upcoming projects need to forge a path into the future.

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