The Lord of the Rings is probably the deepest fantasy world ever put to paper, and the movies of the early 2000s did nothing to damage that reputation, leaving it at the top of the tree for potential adaptations into all sorts of mediums.
Now, video games set in the world Tolkien has created have already been and gone, and some of them are happily very good. Shadow of Mordor (and to a lesser extent the sequel that followed) were great examples of action-adventure games with lighter RPG elements, but they left us wondering what a full RPG in that setting might look like.
If recent rumours are to be believed, we might not have to wait too much longer to find out, as a new game is in development that could show us exactly what's possible in Middle-earth.
As first reported by Insider Gaming, a brand new The Lord of the Rings game is in development, and has been for some time, with additional funding now secured that could push it into the stratosphere.
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That influx of money comes from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and will total around $100 million, with that deal set to be made official soon, possibly confirming more about the game at the same time.
Hogwarts Legacy may set the blueprint
The information about what the game will actually look like is considerably thinner on the ground than we'd like, though we do know that it's set to be a third-person action game that's designed to be a deliberate competitor to Hogwarts Legacy (according to the sources Insider Gaming spoke to).
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There are several other companies actively involved in the development of the game including Revenge and Embracer Group, with the latter being the organisation who purchased the exclusive video game rights to The Lord of the Rings back in 2022, for a staggering $400 million.
Both companies declined to comment on these revelations, beyond confirming that they don't comment on "rumours and speculation". Whatever does happen with this latest effort, they will want to ensure that it's considerably more successful that the release of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, which probably went some way to lowering the value of their investment after they licensed it out.
In the meantime, one of the best Lord of the Rings games in recent years is getting a major DLC and Amazon Game Studios continues to work on the licensed MMO.
Even if this new game never sees the light of day, there's plenty of Lord of the Rings to be getting on with.
Topics: Hogwarts Legacy, The Lord Of The Rings, TV And Film