Exclusive: Amazon Games Boss Says Lord of the Rings MMO 'Still Early,' Calls Tomb Raider a 'Huge, Huge Task'

ign.com:

In recent years, Amazon Games has become known for MMOs like Lost Ark, Throne & Liberty, and Blue Protocol — massively multiplayer games from predominantly Asian publishers built around grinding. But even with several new releases on the horizon, including a Lord of the Rings MMO, there are signs that Amazon Games is ready to move on from one of the genres that has defined it.

In an exclusive interview with IGN, Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann talked about the label's plans in the wake of revealing King of Meat, a new hack-and-slash co-op game that Hartmann calls Amazon's "first step out of the MMO genre" as it seeks to expand its publishing portfolio.

"As you know, we have Tomb Raider and others, so that's obviously happening regardless," Hartmann says. "But I think what's even more important is that we are taking bets on new ideas and new developers, which is very few... Well, we are not yet established publisher, but we're still a big company."

While Amazon Games has been mostly quiet through 2024, Hartmann says that the publisher has been busy behind the scenes, calling it one of its most important years to date. Amazon Games currently has 10 games in development, he says, and are currently negotiating "a couple more." These include blue chip games like Tomb Raider and the Lord of the Rings MMO, as well as a new driving game from the former developers behind Forza Horizon.

Still, questions remain. Despite saying as recently as June that a reveal for Lord of the Rings MMO is "not too far away," Amazon Games CEO Christoph Hartmann says that it's still early days for the anticipated online game based on the blockbuster fantasy franchise.

"We're still trying to find the hook, find that idea of what it is because we don't just want to go and do the same thing over," Hartmann tells IGN in an exclusive interview. "While it's tempting sometimes with an existing IP, that's not the point of doing it. You've got to find a fresh twist, and we're still, I think, in that