15 May, 2023
2023-5-15 4:08:53 PM UTC
https://www.amazongames.com/en-us/news ... les/lord-of-the-rings-mmoAmazon Games and Embracer Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary Middle-earth Enterprises, part of the operative group Freemode, today announced they have reached an agreement for Amazon Games to develop and publish a new massively multiplayer online (MMO) game based on The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
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. Additional details, including launch timing, will be shared at a later date.
“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.”
“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”, said Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode.
“We have the clear ambition to create the highest-quality entertainment products for this IP, whether we utilize internal resources or team up with the best industry partners that complement our capabilities. We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world.”
The as-yet-untitled The Lord of the Rings game continues Amazon Games’ growing momentum in game publishing and development, following the success of its internally developed MMO New World and action RPG Lost Ark from Smilegate RPG, both of which have toppedSteam and Twitch charts and continue to nurture strong player communities. Amazon has also announced publishing agreements with NCSOFT for Throne and Liberty, Bandai Namco Online for Blue Protocol, Crystal Dynamics for the next major Tomb Raider game, and Glowmade and Disruptive Games for unannounced titles.
Separately, Amazon Studios produces the hit series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for Prime Video, which takes place during Tolkien’s Second Age of Middle-earth and is unrelated to this upcoming MMO game in development with Amazon Games.
15 May, 2023
2023-5-15 4:20:31 PM UTC
"We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world."
I think Lord of the Rings Online has already achieved this, so interesting to see what is different, apart from using a much newer game engine than LOTRO and being available on consoles as well as the PC.
15 May, 2023
2023-5-15 9:00:24 PM UTC
I for one am incredibly excited about this!
17 May, 2023
2023-5-17 9:35:20 AM UTC
My expectation,anticipation,and desire is almost zero on this game development as Amazon up to now have not delivered in any meaningful way with content,sensitivity,and creativity with their Middle-earth projects such as the appalling Rings Of Power which was beyond awful.Prove me wrong mighty Amazon but alas I won't be.Ho hum
18 May, 2023
2023-5-18 11:01:10 PM UTC
For those interested or worried, LOTRO is not going away any time soon
Hello everyone,
During the past few days, we’ve received a number of notes from excited and concerned community members about a new MMO coming to the Tolkien-verse from Amazon Games.
Some folks have asked what this means for LOTRO. We wanted to give everyone in the community an update and assure you all that LOTRO is not going away!
Like you, we, and our partners at Middle-earth Enterprises are huge fans of LOTRO. It is beloved, it is sixteen, it is evergreen. LOTRO is like the long-lived Ents, Elves and Dwarves; and we mere mortals, are the stewards of LOTRO and its community. Standing Stone has every intention of growing and supporting this community. The road goes ever on...
https://forums.lotro.com/index.php?thr ... -the-lotro-community.726/
27 May, 2023
2023-5-27 7:59:32 AM UTC
As we reported, Hartmann's ambition is to make this "the largest MMO out there" – a feat made somewhat more challenging by the fact there's already a long-running Lord of the Rings MMO out there.
The Lord of the Rings Online, now operated by Standing Stone, has been operating since 2007 and still receives hefty expansions, such as last year's Before The Shadow. Given that game has a headstart of more than a decade, does this affect the potential for Amazon Games' own Tolkien title?
"Not at all," says Hartmann. "First of all, I have a lot of respect for them to keep it going that long. They have a, not huge, but a very dedicated fanbase. But looking just at the technology, where we're at now, and where we will be in a couple of years, it's just worlds apart. It's a little exaggeration if I say it's going to be like black and white movies to colour, but that's the approach I want to take. It's just a completely different world.
"I think they actually can co-exist. Even the most likely scenario is… for people just to move over, because the other one is an old game. It's not a bad game, but the industry moves on at some point, and it's a long time from their release to ours."
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/amazons- ... -one-mmo-to-rule-them-all
13 Jun, 2023
2023-6-13 7:45:20 AM UTC
13 Jun, 2023
2023-6-13 4:50:07 PM UTC
Embracer Plans to Turn Lord of the Rings Into ‘One of the Biggest Game Franchises in the World’
Amid its costly restructure.Embracer has said it needs to be "exploiting Lord of the Rings in a very significant fashion" by turning it into “one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world”.
https://www.ign.com/articles/embracer- ... e-franchises-in-the-world
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