Amazon Games has announced a new partnership with Embracer Group and Middle-earth Enterprises to develop a new Lord of the Rings MMORPG. The game will be based on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings property and will, of course, be set in Middle-earth. According to the press announcement, the game will feature stories from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books.
Amazon Orange County, the same crew behind New World, will develop the MMO. The goal is to deliver a faithful experience to longtime fans and new adherents of the LotR novels.
“The number-one thing about a property like this is that you have to be respectful and authentic,” Rich Lawrence, Amazon Games Orange County director, said. “When somebody is a fan of The Lord of the Rings and sits down and plays this game for the first time, they have to say, ‘This was crafted by a bunch of people who lived in this world just like I do in my head. They get it.’
It’s Not New World 2.0
While the team behind New World is proud of their work, they are not building “New World 2.0” using Tolkien’s properties. They will, however, use their expertise to bring a unique game based on the “values and enjoyment people get out of these books.” The team will draw on the lessons learned while developing New World and will further utilize some of the technical achievements from its previous work.
For example, New World enabled huge, multiplayer battles at a scale, which is uncommon in video games due to the sheer complexity of enabling dozens of players to seamlessly interact within the same instance. This proficiency has a clear application and relevance to Tolkien’s Third Age, which famously features large-scale battles of its own.
Beyond these glowing words, we know little else about the game. There is no information about platforms or even a website at this juncture. However, fans will have to bide their time as the game is likely years away from seeing the light. We’ll keep you posted as things move along.
In the meantime, check out the Lord of the Rings MMO announcement PR.
