Project Scorpio gets its first confirmed launch title – Middle Earth: Shadow of War

After a rather embarrassing leak over the weekend, Middle Earth: Shadow of War has been officially revealed today. 

But most interesting is the list of platforms the game is coming to, which includes Microsoft’s upcoming Project Scorpio console. 

That makes the game the first to be confirmed for the new hardware, which will be arriving this holiday.

Project Precioussssssss

In a press release, Microsoft said, “As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, if you purchase a digital version of Middle-earth: Shadow of War from either the Xbox Store or Windows Store, you will automatically have access to the game on Xbox One and Windows 10 PC at launch – and for Project Scorpio at its launch this holiday season – at no additional cost.” (emphasis added).

The series has had a history of supporting new pieces of hardware. Despite coming out almost a year prior to the PS4 Pro's unveiling, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor was later updated to add Pro functionality. 

The Xbox One version of the game will be available prior to the Scorpio version, and is due to launch on August 22, 2017. 

Since every PS4 game now has to include a Pro mode, it’s safe to assume the new game will also support Sony’s latest piece of hardware, meaning the game might end up giving us our first taste of the relative power of the two consoles.

Jon Porter

Jon Porter is the ex-Home Technology Writer for TechRadar. He has also previously written for Practical Photoshop, Trusted Reviews, Inside Higher Ed, Al Bawaba, Gizmodo UK, Genetic Literacy Project, Via Satellite, Real Homes and Plant Services Magazine, and you can now find him writing for The Verge.