Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is an open world action role-playing video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in September 2014 and PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2014. An original non-canon story set in the legendarium created by J. R. R. Tolkien, the game takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The player controls Talion, a Ranger who bonds with the wraith of the Elf Lord Celebrimbor, as the two set out to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. Players can engage in melee combat, and use wraith abilities to fight and manipulate enemies. The game introduces the Nemesis System, which allows the artificial intelligence of non-playable characters to remember their prior actions against the game’s protagonist and react accordingly.