Photo: Sundry Photography / Shutterstock.com
Amazon Games and the Embracer group, IP owners for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, are working on a new open-world MMO set in Middle-earth.
Amazon’s Orange County studio, the team behind the successful MMO New World released in 2021, will spearhead the development. Although the game is still in its early production phase, no specific release date has been disclosed. However, Amazon has confirmed it will be available on both PC and consoles.
The announcement marks the company’s second endeavour in creating a Lord of the Rings MMO. The initial attempt was announced in 2019 but was terminated after two years. Despite Amazon’s involvement in the costly Lord of the Rings series titled The Rings of Power on Prime Video, the company clarifies that it is entirely separate from the ongoing development of the MMO game.
As Amazon continues its expansion in the gaming industry, the latest announcement is a teaser of what’s to come from the e-commerce giant. Alongside the development of NewWorld, Amazon has ventured into publishing with Smilegate’s Lost Ark, a Diablo-style game.
Furthermore, Last year, Amazon revealed a partnership with Crystal Dynamics to publish the next sequel of the Tomb Raider series. The Embracer Group also holds the intellectual property right to Tomb Raider.
Embracer has multiple projects in the works when it comes to games based on Tolkien’s works. In February, Embracer announced its plans to release a total of five Lord of the Rings games within a span of two years. This lineup includes Gollum and EA’s mobile game, Heroes of Middle-earth, demonstrating the company’s diverse involvement in the Tolkien-inspired gaming landscape.
In the News: JioCinema’s announces paid plan with HBO and WB content
