Amazon Games has confirmed today that it has not given up on its effort to make a new The Lord of the Rings game, despite its latest attempt floundering.
After a staggering layoff round in October 2025, many projects at Amazon were derailed including the fledgling MMO, New World. Back in 2023 (way before New World was killed), Amazon announced a new foray into Middle-earth; they would be making a new title that would feature “the beloved stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings“, adapted from Tolkien’s original books, as licensed by rights owner Embracer. Today, the MMO that was then announced has reportedly been cancelled after months of no new information (following the October layoffs), and a statement made today by Amazon’s head of games, Jeff Grattis, drives the stake deeper.
Eurogamer reports that after reaching out to Amazon Games for comment regarding anything about the Lord of the Rings IP, they received a response from the head of games. Grattis said, “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.” This all but confirms the 2023 announcement has been cut from Amazon’s release schedule, but a source also told Eurogamer that this project entered pre-production only months before the layoffs were announced in 2025 (two years after it was announced).
The Lord of the Rings IP continues to be a hot commodity on new frontiers. The third season of Rings of Power is scheduled to pick back up in November at Prime Video, and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit is being converted into a whole Universes Beyond set expansion for Magic: The Gathering. With no big game announcement (and no news about the 2023 announcement aside from potential doom) Amazon appears to be re-focusing on the IP, at least according to Grattis.
It’s important to note that while implied (and with the surrounding reports as strong evidence) the announced Lord of the Rings title from 2023 has been everything but explicitly confirmed as dead at Amazon. But fans should wait until they make an official announcement to conclude its end.
