A new Lord Of The Rings game is in development according to reports, although the details don’t exactly inspire much confidence.
Between The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum and Tales Of The Shire, the past few years haven’t been kind when it comes to video games based on J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy masterpiece.
It’s even more dispiriting considering the studio that made the last good Lord Of The Rings game, Monolith Productions, was closed down earlier this year. Since 2017’s Middle-earth: Shadow Of War, games based on the franchise have been middling at best.
However, according to reports, there’s a new hope on the horizon, although the companies involved don’t exactly instil confidence of a drastic sea change.
According to sources at Insider Gaming, a new Lord Of The Rings third-person action game is in development, which will be partially funded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), with their investment equating to roughly $100 million (£74.4 million).
It’s claimed the investment deal has ‘been in the works since last year’, and while it isn’t signed yet, it could be made official ‘as early as next week’ (the deal, not the game itself). According to the report, the game’s development so far has been funded internally.
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There’s no word on who is actually developing the game, but it’s claimed Embracer, Revenge (we have no idea who they are), and ‘other studios’ are involved. Embracer has owned the rights to The Lord Of The Rings IP for video games since 2022, and has leased it to other other studios since.
While there’s barely any details on the game itself, sources claim it will be a third person action game designed to ‘compete with Hogwarts Legacy’ – which suggests it will be a project that’s substantial in scope.
Hogwarts Legacy is an open world role-playing game based on the Harry Potter franchise, which has sold over 34 million copies since it launched in February 2023. A sequel is underway at developer Avalanche Software.
It’s unclear whether this comparison means this Lord Of The Rings game will be open world, or if it’s simply hoping to have the same level of success, but until an actual developer is announced, it’s perhaps best to remain cautious.
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