Amazon Games and Embracer Group announced that they had reached an agreement for Amazon Games to develop and publish a new MMO game based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Swedish holding company Embracer Group acquired the IP rights to The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit literary works by J.R.R. Tolkien through its subsidiary Freemode in 2022.
Related: How much did Embracer pay for Lord of The Rings rights?
The upcoming game will be an open-world MMO adventure in a persistent world set in Middle-earth, featuring the beloved stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy. The game is in early stages of production, with Amazon Games Orange County—makers of the popular open-world MMO game New World—leading development. Amazon Games will publish the game globally for PC and consoles.
“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. 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.”
Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode, said, “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.”
Additional details, including launch timing, will be shared at a later date.
