Amazon Game Studios is working on a new free-to-play massively multiplayer online game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
The game is to be based on Tolkien’s novel trilogy, not the Peter Jackson films, and is unrelated to Amazon’s upcoming original TV series that will be set in the Second Age. Working with Amazon is Athlon Games and Leyou, who originally announced the project in 2018. Athlon’s Lord of the Rings MMO was announced for unspecified consoles and PC, and was described as “an online game set in the world of Middle-earth at a time long before the events of The Lord of the Rings, exploring lands, people and creatures never seen before by fans of the Tolkien universe.”
Amazon’s internal game studios, including developers working on the company’s original MMO New World, will support Athlon to make this title a reality. Amazon’s support effort boasts an all-star cast of seasoned developers who have worked on games like Everquest, Destiny, Planetside, World of Warcraft, and other MMOs.
A release date for the Lord of the Rings MMO was not announced, though we can likely expect more news within a couple years.