EA announced one of their latest projects will be a new mobile game for the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Imagine fighting the flame of Udun at the bridge of Khazad-dum on your phone like Gandalf! Electronic Arts announced today they will be creating a mobile Lord of the Rings game called “The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth” with Middle-earth Enterprises. While there have not been many details on the game’s content, there was one piece of artwork revealed for the collaborative game.
The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth will be developed by EA Capital Games, based in Sacramento, California. This was the same studio which made Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, a successful mobile game for the Star Wars franchise. The “heroes” theme seems to be a magic formula working for EA.
The LOTR universe had been adapted into many games and films from its original books by J.R.R. Tolkien. EA made games on the franchise form the 2002’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to their last Middle-earth game in 2009, The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, for Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Xbox 360. The latest successful LOTR-based games had been from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment with the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor games.
The new game is expected to feature a “wide roster” of characters from across Tolkien’s works, not directly from the film adaptations like many previous projects. EA promised “high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations and stylized art” as well as “immersive storytelling, turn-based combat and deep collection systems.” The gameplay was said to involve iconic battles from a variety of Tolkien’s world that will highlight social and competitive play.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with the Saul Zaentz Company and Middle-earth Enterprises on the next generation of mobile role-playing games,” said EA’s VP of mobile RPG, Malachi Boyle. “The team is filled with fans of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit’ and each day they bring their tremendous passion and talents together to deliver an authentic experience for players.”
The chief brand and licensing officer for Middle-earth Enterprises, Fredrica Drotos shared their thoughts on the partnered game, “We are thrilled to be working with EA once again, this time to bring a mobile game solely inspired by Middle-earth as described in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien to its fans. It’s an honor to work with the talented Capital Games team whose knowledge and love of the lore is palpable throughout.”
Even though there had not been any details on a release date yet, it was announced that limited, regional beta testing would begin this summer. In the meantime, Tolkien fans are expected to get their LOTR entertainment fix with the upcoming premiere of Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power on September 2, 2022.
