Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - Early Pre-Production Phase, Shadow Demon Exploration #2

In the early days of exploration for the game that would eventually morph into Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, a lot of brainstorming took place. During this early concept phase, many ideas were explored, including new enemy types.

The purpose of these Shadow Demon explorations was to challenge the player against a new and powerful enemy type. Their designs were influenced by the fierce Balrog seen in Fellowship of the Ring. These enemies were designed closer to 10 feet tall instead of the massive scale of the Balrog.

Since most of the Balrogs were already killed off or accounted for in Tolkien Lore, these smaller scale Shadow Demons were explored as a possible enemy alternative.