Earlier this week, German studio Daedalic Entertainment announced that they are partnering with Middle-earth Enterprises for a brand new game set in the Lord of the Rings universe. The game is set to be a narrative action adventure game titled The Lord of the Rings– Gollum. The game is currently set to release in 2021 on PC and “all relevant console platforms at that time.” Thus, it may be safe to assume, that this game will be on the next generation of consoles.
The new game is set to be based on the books themselves and not the film adaptations as the studio does not have the rights to the films. According to the press release, the game will be ” lore-centric” and “will remain true to the vision laid out in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.” In regards to partnering with Daedalic for this endeavor, Fredrica Drotos, the brand officer for Middle-earth Enterprises stated,”With their focus on characters and story, enhanced by rich and evocative artwork, Daedalic is committed to building games for readers who become gamers.”
The game will obviously follow the titular character Gollum, and give players and fans “a perspective never seen before, in any storytelling medium,” of the former Hobbit with a split personality. In an interview with PCgamer, Carsten Fichtelmann, Daedalic’s CEO, confirmed that the game will feature new content as it is set to take place before Gollum’s appearance in the books. Fichtelmann also stated that, due to Gollum’s split personality, “You’ll come to decisions you have to make, and you’ll have the two voices talking to you. He may change his mind, and this is a clue about how it will play.” This seems to indicate that there will be moments in the game where players can make choices based on either the character’s Gollum or Sméagol personalities.
This new game isn’t the only new Lord of the Rings project currently in the works. A MMORPG based around the series is reportedly currently in development. Along with this, Amazon is currently working on new Lord of the Rings TV series which is also being targeted for a 2021 release. Thus, the future looks bright for the beloved franchise.