It seems like Amazon is really down to invest in Tolkien’s Middle-earth. In addition to the upcoming TV series, Amazon is developing a videogame based on the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien in his epic fantasy saga The Lord of the Rings as well. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the final product will be a free-to-play massively multiplayer online (MMO) game for PC and consoles.
“Tolkien’s Middle-earth is one of the richest fictional worlds in history, and it gives our team of experienced MMO developers — from the same studio developing New World — tremendous opportunity to play and create,” Amazon Game Studio VP Christoph Hartmann said in a statement. “We have a strong leadership team in place to helm this new project, and we’re actively growing our team to help build this incredible experience.”
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Amazon Games Studio will join forces with Middle-earth Enterprises as well as Leyou Technologies Holdings Limited. The Hong Kong-based games company will ultimately market and publish the game in China.
“Bringing Middle-earth to life necessitates having the very best partners,” said Leyou CEO Alex Xu. “And Amazon’s customer obsession, technology and talented teams make it the ideal choice for a co-developer and publisher.”
Additionally, Amazon announced that the upcoming Lord of the Rings game and TV series are unrelated. Both, however, take place in an era well before the events of The Lord of the Rings book and movie trilogy. At the moment, the release date of the videogame is still under wraps.
What are your expectations on the upcoming Lord of the Rings online multiplayer game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
