amazon has reached an agreement with Embracer Group, the company that owns the intellectual property rights to “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit”, to launch a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) based on the works of JRR Tolkien. The upcoming game will be an open-world MMO adventure set in Middle-earth, with stories from the literary trilogy “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
The game is in the early stages of production with the Amazon Games Orange County studio, which is the same studio behind the MMO. The new World. Amazon Games will publish the game globally for PC and consoles. Amazon says it will reveal additional details, including launch timing, at a later date.
Although Amazon Studios produces “The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” for Prime Video, Amazon says the show is unrelated to this upcoming MMO game in development with Amazon Games.
“We are committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-time darlings like The Lord of the ringssaid Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games, a Press release. “Bring players a new vision of The Lord of the rings It has long been an aspiration for our team, and we are honored and grateful to be entrusted with this iconic world by Middle-earth Enterprises. We are also pleased to expand our relationship with Embracer Group following our deal with Tomb Raider last year, as they have proven to be excellent partners.”
It’s worth noting that the upcoming game will be Amazon’s second chance at a Lord of the Rings MMO. The company’s first attempt was announced in 2019 and then canceled in 2021. The game was jointly developed by Amazon, Athlon Games, and Leyou. The project was shelved following a disagreement between Amazon and Tencent, which acquired Leyou in 2020.
The news of the upcoming game comes as Amazon is advancing its push into video games and reworking its strategy. Earlier this year, the company laid off about 100 employees throughout its video game division. The layoffs included employees of the Game Growth group, Amazon’s San Diego gaming studio and Prime Gaming.
Amazon Games’ lineup includes the in-house developed MMO New World and the action RPG Lost Ark. The company is also developing a new multiplatform”Tomb Raider” qualification. Released in 2013, Amazon Games has yet to produce a major hit despite several published projects. The company is now looking to cook up a hit with a major fantasy franchise title that is likely to garner attention.
