Amazon Games and Embracer Group announced they’re teaming up to bring the world a new open-world MMORPG (massively multiplayer online roleplaying game) set in Middle-Earth.
According to Amazon’s press release, the game will feature “the beloved stories of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ literary trilogy,” though how that will be facilitated remains unknown. Whether the game is simply set in the same timeline as these stories or actively features the characters and events of the novels remains unclear.
“We’re committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-beloved ones like ‘The Lord of the Rings,’” said Christoph Hartmann, VP, Amazon Games. “Bringing players a fresh take on ‘The Lord of the Rings’ has long been an aspiration for our team, and we’re honored and grateful that Middle-earth Enterprises is entrusting us with this iconic world.”
The game is in “early stages of production,” to the point where Amazon doesn’t yet have a publicly sharable name for the project or a release date. All that’s known at present is the variety of project (“Lord of the Rings” game) and genre (MMORPG).
What form that MMORPG could take is anyone’s guess, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Amazon is attempting something in the vein of “World of Warcraft,” one of the most popular games ever made that has set the standard for fantasy-based massively multiplayer online roleplaying titles.
Alternatively, Amazon Games could approach the project from an “Eve Online” angle. “Eve” is also an MMORPG but features uniquely intricate economic systems that have earned the game a dedicated following of committed fans. Amazon Games’ previous MMO endeavor, “New World” (which received mixed reviews on Steam) had economic deflation issues, so perhaps this new project will be an evolution of the studio’s previous attempt at creating a grand-scale online experience with a functioning economy.
