Middle-earth Shadow of War developer Monolith has revealed that it has honored a deceased team member by including a special character in the upcoming fantasy action-RPG.
Michael Forgey, who served as an executive producer with Monolith, tragically passed away of cancer aged 43 in 2016. However, he has now been immortalised in Shadow of War as an Orc slayer.
Players will encounter him if they purchase the Forthog Orc-Slayer DLC, where he appears as the titular character and occasionally one-hit kills whoever you are battling against at the time.
It’s a fitting tribute, considering that Forgey was part of a band known as Orc Slayer alongside fellow Monolith staff members. Appropriately, his in-game counterpart wields a powerful guitar axe.
Monolith will be charging £3.99 for the DLC, and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be donating $3.50 of every purchase to Forgey’s family through December 31, 2019.
"Mike was larger than life," said Monolith’s Kevin Stephens said. "Mike was an incredible inspiration to our team. He was our front man in many respects. Everybody loved Mike."
"Mike was a fantastic guy," Phil Straub added. "He was a guy who always wanted to help people. He was a great manager of people."
Middle-earth Shadow of War is due for release on October 10, 2017. Monolith recently confirmed that the game will feature a mini-campaign following completion of the main story, which you’ll need to complete if you want to see the true ending.