Yesterday, Amazon Games and Embracer Group announced a deal to revive the production of The Lord of the Rings MMO canceled around two years ago due to a disagreement with Tencent, which controlled the rights at the time.
In a blog post published on the Amazon Games website, Vice President Christoph Hartmann actually referenced that project, though it remains unclear whether any elements will be ported over to the new game.
We were so excited to get that first opportunity to build an MMO based on one of the world’s most beloved fantasy properties, so it broke our hearts when that initial deal ultimately fell through. We were so endeared to Tolkien’s world and the project that we never gave up on the possibility of one day bringing it back to the table. So, you can imagine our absolute delight when our friends at Embracer Group and Middle-earth Enterprises formally gave us the green light to get to work.
We’re honored and flattered by their faith in us. And we’re determined to build the best possible The Lord of the Rings MMO and something that the franchise’s millions of fans all over the world will truly love.
The blog post also contains interesting information on the upcoming game. It was stressed multiple times that the development team at Amazon Games Orange County is filled with fans of Tolkien's seminal fantasy tale, which isn't that hard to imagine. Game Director Rich Lawrence said the goal is to ensure players would immediately tell the love and passion put into the game as soon as they log in.
The folks at Orange County studio already have an MMO in their belt: New World. According to Amazon, though, The Lord of the Rings MMO will be a very different experience bespoke to the IP, but it'll also be inevitably influenced by the team's learnings with New World.
From a technical standpoint, Amazon Games Orange County aims to develop the game with a 'highly evolved, next-generation' version of New World's Azoth engine (itself based on Lumberyard). The engine's original scope was to enable massive battles in New World, and Amazon reckons that'll come in handy for a faithful rendition of the large scale battles of the Third Age.
The Lord of the Rings MMO is said to be in early production, so it'll likely be a while before we get to see anything concrete. Whenever it releases, it'll be available on PC and consoles.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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