The Lord of the Rings MMO Is in Development at Amazon Games for the Second Time in Five Years

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The Lord of the Rings is getting a massively multiplayer online (MMO) video game adaptation, IP rights holder Embracer Group announced on Monday. Amazon Games' Orange County studio, which previously worked on New World, will lead development on the title, which will be published globally for PC and consoles. The open-world MMO is currently in the early stages of production and will feature stories from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary trilogy by author J.R.R. Tolkien — in a “persistent world set in Middle-earth”. In terms of details, that's all we have for now. This marks Amazon's second attempt at a LOTR MMO, which was announced in 2019 as a free-to-play title, before getting cancelled in early 2021.

“We're committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-beloved ones like The Lord of the Rings,” Christoph Hartmann, vice president, Amazon Games, said in a prepared statement. “Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team, and we're honoured 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.”

Back in February, Embracer confirmed that it had five LOTR games in development, expected to release within the next two years — specifically, within the next financial year, which runs from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024. While not explicitly mentioned, the LOTR MMO could very well be the fifth title in the mix. Speaking to IGN, Hartmann also confirmed that the project is a brand-new take and that it “won't be using any materials” from