New Lord of the Rings Game Reportedly in Development with $100M Budget

For decades, we’ve been graced with The Lord of the Rings games of varying quality. From the PC to current platforms, publishers have always sought to capitalize on those literary classics, especially after the release of the Peter Jackson films. Now, we’re getting another mystery adaptation with a huge budget.

According to a report from Insider Gaming, a new Lord of the Rings game has allegedly been in development “for some time,” and will be partially funded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) for roughly $100 million. In other words, it should be a massive budget project, and the deal should be fully signed and ready to go “soon.”

A New Lord Of The Rings Game Could Be In The Cards

In Addition To Current Projects

Weirdly, this one will apparently be going in a different direction than some other projects (including the Amazon MMO). It’s reportedly set as a “third-person action game” that will “compete with Hogwarts Legacy.” With a hub zone in tow (perhaps a Dúnedain camp, or even Rivendell or Gondor?), I can easily see going on adventures throughout the beautiful countryside of Middle-earth.

Given that Hogwarts Legacy 2 is also reportedly in development, we could see these two titans of IP clash at some point in the future. Based on the report, “multiple parties” are involved in this project, as well as Embracer (who is the current rights holder) and Revenge. Both of them declined to comment on the story.

Lord of the Rings game release schedules typically fluctuate, with periods of feast and famine. Following a short drought after 2017’s Middle-earth: Shadow of War, LOTR game projects are popping up like daisies again.

LOTR Continues To Proliferate

Expect More Movies And TV Shows

While the rights to the Lord of the Rings franchise are somewhat complex, they are mostly owned by a holding company called Middle-earth Enterprises (MEE), as well as the Tolkien estate itself. There are a few projects that bump up against the Tolkien estate’s purview, but for the most part, the MEE rights are tied to The Lord of the Rings books, as well as The Hobbit, and the Appendices: lengthy notes and stories that Tolkien included in the LOTR series itself.

MEE has gotten way more aggressive since Embracer took over, with multiple tabletop games in the works, as well as mobile games, the cozy Tales of the Shire, and the Gollum/Return to Moria titles. That’s also not including 2024’s The War of the Rohirrim film, and the upcoming The Hunt For Gollum. Expect even more LOTR media to emerge in the future under this Embracer deal, which is still relatively new, having been finalized in 2022.

​​​In any case, I wouldn’t expect something outside the confines of those The Lord of the Rings rights just yet. Hopefully, this rumor pans out, and we get a good third-person Lord of the Rings game again.

Created by

J.R.R. Tolkien

Cast

Norman Bird, Anthony Daniels, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis, Brad Dourif, Karl Urban, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Morfydd Clark, Mike Wood, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, Brian Cox, Shaun Dooley, Miranda Otto, Bilal Hasna, Benjamin Wainwright, Luke Pasqualino, Christopher Guard, William Squire, Michael Scholes, John Hurt

Character(s)

Frodo Baggins, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, Sauron, Gollum, Samwise Gamgee, Pippin Took, Celeborn, Aragorn, Galadriel, Bilbo Baggins, Saruman, Aldor, Wormtongue, Thorin Oakenshield, Balin Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fili, Kili, Oin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori, Tauriel, King Thranduil, Smaug, Radagast, Arondir, Nori Brandyfoot, Poppy Proudfellow, Marigold Brandyfoot, Queen Regent Míriel, Sadoc Burrows