Back in May 2023, Amazon announced that it was developing a Lord of the Rings MMO, and the game didn’t enter pre-production until 2025. In October of 2025, Amazon was hit with major layoffs, and rumors began that the game was canceled, but nothing was confirmed. And now brings us to May 14, 2026, and Amazon has officially confirmed that The Lord of the Rings MMO has been canceled, but they continue to work on a Lord of the Rings “Game Experience,” according to Eurogamer.

Jeff Grattis, the head of Amazon Games, was recently asked to make a statement about the state of the Lord of the Rings MMO cancellation, as news about it reached Eurogamer since they had sources familiar with the studio, and this was his statement: “Our creative team continues to explore a compelling new game experience that does justice to Tolkien’s world; we are working closely with Middle-earth and remain excited about the IP.” With this statement, it’s pretty much the end of the game, as nothing has been said about the game since the layoffs back in October 2025. His mention of a new game experience shows that they have moved on and are looking to develop a different game in the world of The Lord of the Rings.

With layoffs becoming so common in the gaming industry, we are seeing more and more studios and games shuttered as studios are forced to restructure. This announcement marks another loss for the month of May, and, as things are going, it looks like a really dark month for gaming. This cancellation is rough for fans of the Lord of the Rings IP, as this was going to be a big multiplayer game set in the universe. With Amazon’s backing, it might have been a big hit for MMOs, which have been becoming fewer and fewer in recent years. It also doesn’t help that nothing was said of the game’s status since the layoffs, and only learning about it from a statement leaves a bad taste, but at this point, nothing can be done; we can only wait and see what Amazon is cooking for the Lord of the Rings IP as they continue to pursue more games for the franchise.