Middle-earth is no stranger to the world of video games. Back in the era of Peter Jackson’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy, the films received a series of tie-in hack-and-slash games that were surprisingly above the bar for licensed movie games at the time (and allowed you to gleefully tear through orcs as Gandalf). In more recent years, the franchise has seen the highs of the Shadow Of Mordor series, which blended Assassin’s Creed-style gameplay with Monolith’s (RIP) incredible Nemesis System. Then there were the lows, namely The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, which the less said about, the better.
However, those looking for a big Middle-earth RPG in the vein of Skyrim or Avowed may finally be in luck, as Warhorse Studios – the team behind the critically acclaimed Kingdom Come: Deliverance series – has announced on social media that it is working on an “open-world Middle-earth RPG”, alongside a new Kingdom Come game. Details are scarce, but it’s safe to assume this may not be set during the events of The Lord Of The Rings, and could instead explore another part of Tolkien’s wider fantasy world and timeline.
Warhorse seems like a very strong fit for Tolkien’s world, given its approach to immersive worlds and realistic melee combat from the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series – it’s easy to imagine how that might look when blended with Hobbits, Orcs, Elves and more. Given how strict the studio has traditionally been about historical accuracy, this would mark a major departure for Warhorse as it heads into fiction territory, but considering its strength in telling expansive, grounded stories, the One Ring appears to be in very safe hands. And, with a new season of The Rings Of Power arriving this year, alongside an all-new Lord Of The Rings film next year, it seems there will be no shortage of Middle-earth any time soon.
