A fresh attempt at bringing a Lord of the Rings MMO to life is once again being made by Amazon Games. According to a press release, the MMORPG will be solely developed and published for PC and consoles by the studio, which has struck a new deal with license holder Middle-earth Enterprises.
As per the presser, the LotR MMO will be an open-world adventure, and is set to feature the “stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy”. Having launched New World back in late 2021, fans can expect Amazon Games to transpose that experience into one of the most beloved franchises of all time.
Speaking on the deal, Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann says “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 previous iteration of Amazon Games’ LotR MMO – originally announced in 2018 – was axed back in 2021, following the acquisition of development partner Athlon Games by Chinese tech and entertainment conglomerate Tencent. As a result of the move, Hartmann told Gamespot in a September 2022 interview that Middle-earth Enterprises exercised a contractual clause that would terminate its rights deal should one of its partners be acquired, bringing everything to an end.
Despite this, Amazon Games and Tencent continued to negotiate with one-another in the hopes that a new arrangement could be reached. However, negotiations stalled, and Amazon Games ultimately opted to cut ties.
Now that the ball is squarely in Amazon Games’ court, we’re eager to see how the studio’s take on a LotR MMO will materialize. Hopefully it’ll have us clamoring for more…dor.
If you’re after more Lord of the Rings goodness in the meantime, check out all the latest info on the Rings of Power Season 2 release date if you’re a fan of Amazon’s TV adaptation. Alternatively, you’ll be able to get your LotR videogame fix when the Lord of the Rings Gollum release date rolls around. It’s not long now until the precious could be yours.