Amazon Games is taking another jab at Middle-earth, readying a return to J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy world by announcing a massive multiplayer Lord of the Rings game. The retail/streaming giant has struck a deal with the Embracer Group, the company that holds the IP rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, to “develop and publish” a brand new open-world MMO featuring “a persistent world set in Middle-earth.”
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Image: Amazon Games
It’s no secret that Amazon is aggressively trying to get into the games business and this new deal certainly stands to bolster its slate of IPs. At present, the gaming arm of Jeff Bezos’ organisation only has limited titles in its roster, headlined by the internally developed MMO New World and action RPG Lost Ark from Smilegate.
This new game marks Amazon’s second attempt at a Lord of the Rings MMO, with the first game being announced back in 2019 only to get shelved two years later. The company also has the extremely expensive Lord of the Rings TV series The Rings of Power on Prime Video, which it says “is unrelated to this upcoming MMO game in development with Amazon Games.”
Image: Matt Grace/Amazon Prime Video
The upcoming yet-to-be-named Lord of the Rings MMO title is set to feature the fan-favourite stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy and is in “early stages of production, with the Amazon Games Orange County studio”. Importantly, Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games confirmed that more information such as release date or plot details and trailers will be shared in the future.
“We’re committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-beloved ones like The Lord of the Rings,” Hartmann said during the announcement. “Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team, and we’re honoured and grateful that Middle-earth Enterprises is entrusting us with this iconic world. We’re also pleased to be expanding our relationship with Embracer Group following our Tomb Raider deal last year, as they’ve proven to be excellent collaborators.”
‘Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ on PS2 | Image: Sony
The game is slated to hit on both PC and consoles and will be published by Amazon Games globally. Besides this new Lord of the Rings game, Amazon Games even has a single-player, narrative-driven adventure game in the Tomb Raider series in the works, with the studio collaborating with Embracer-owned Crystal Dynamics.
“The world of Middle-earth continues to prove an endlessly fertile ground for creators, and Amazon Games has a passion for building immersive, compelling worlds and publishing games for a global audience,” Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode said in a press release.
“We have the clear ambition to create the highest-quality entertainment products for this IP, whether we utilise internal resources or team up with the best industry partners that complement our capabilities. We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world.”
Despite developing and publishing numerous titles, Amazon Games studio is still looking for that elusive smash hit that’ll help put its name on the map. The company now seems to be betting big on these beloved franchises to help drive up sales and give them a rock-solid standing in the fiercely competitive game development scene.
