The famous “Lord of the Rings” epic will be the inspiration for an open-world computer game being created by US tech giant Amazon.
The video game industry has embraced J.R.R. Tolkien’s tales of mythological beings contending with the mystical power of the rings, most notably the tie-ins with Peter Jackson’s epic film trilogy in the early 2000s.
We’re excited to announce our collaboration with Embracer Group and Middle-earth Enterprises for our upcoming MMORPG based on the iconic The Lord of the Rings property!
Learn more here!
⚔️ pic.twitter.com/kpsIa6xj9U— Amazon Games (@amazongames) May 15, 2023
A massively multiplayer online game (MMO) where players may explore virtual worlds and design their own adventures is being developed, according to Amazon Games, which announced this on Monday.
The Jeff Bezos-owned behemoth has spent years carving out a space in the video game market with its own studio, a cloud gaming service called Luna and the gaming-focused streaming platform Twitch.
“Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team,” said Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games.
He said Amazon was working with Embracer Group, a holding company that owns the rights to video game versions of Tolkien’s stories, to develop the game.
“We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world,” said Lee Guinchard of Freemode, part of the Embracer Group.
Amazon did not confirm specifics of the game — there is not yet a title or a release date.
Amazon’s TV offshoot, Amazon Prime Video, is also deeply invested in Tolkien’s world — spending more than $1 billion on its adaption of the Lord of the Rings.
The US firm has already developed successful open-world games — it launched “New World” in 2021 to generally positive reviews.
Source: africanentertainment.com