The special effects and prop company behind Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies ventures back to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional universe Middle-earth. The company is mostly known for its exceptional props, weapons, armors, costumes, and bigatures (a term coined by Wētā for very large miniatures), but this time around they’re teaming up with the publisher Private Division to make a video game.
According to the official announcement, the game is in early development and doesn’t have a set-in-stone release date yet, however, the two companies aim to launch the new Middle-earth game by Take-Two’s —Private Division’s parent company— in the fiscal year 2024. The press release mentions little to nothing in regards to the game’s genre or even what platforms it will launch on.
Amie Wolken, Head of Interactive at Wētā Workshop believes this Middle-earth game will be quite different from the others that fans played previously. She didn’t give any hints on what will make Wētā’s Middle-earth game different, though. Wolken said the following in the press release:
“As fans ourselves, we’re excited for gamers to explore Middle-earth in a way they never have before, and introduce new fans to the magic of The Lord of the Rings.”
Michael Worosz, CSO of Take-Two Interactive also commented:
“We are thrilled to partner with Wētā Workshop to publish a game set in such an extraordinary and celebrated universe. The Lord of the Rings IP is home to so many remarkable stories, and no entity is better equipped than the team at Wētā Workshop to create a distinctive, new Middle-earth gaming experience.”
Considering how “Wētā Workshop has the broadest creative license to interpret the underlying lore of the books” via Middle-earth Enterprises, the unnamed project may end up being the most lore-rich Middle-earth game.
It’s been an eventful year for Middle-earth fans so far. Daedalic’s The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was delayed, which was set to release on September 1, just a day before Amazon Prime’s The Lord of the Ring: The Rings of Power series.
Meanwhile, Free Range Games announced a new Valheim and Deep Rock Galactic-like Middle-earth game, where players control dwarves to reclaim Moria, once the glorious Khazad-dûm.
EA is also working on a new mobile LotR game called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. The game is in the soft launch period and is available in some countries but it’s yet to be released worldwide.
NEXT: Warner Bros. delayed Hogwarts Legacy to February 2023
