Following multiple delays, the upcoming Lord of the Rings title focusing on our precious little ring bearer — Lord of the Rings: Gollum — has a new release window.
Lord of the Rings: Gollum hasn’t had a great go of things from the initial announcement to now, but we might be seeing some signs of life after several delays. Originally shown during the Future Games Show in 2020, it was given a “late next year” release window, but since then, we have seen the title pushed back into 2022 (with a brief Switch-only delay), finally announcing a “few months” delay back in July 2022.
During a financial report from publisher Nacon, they stated that the game would be out “in the first half of FY 2023-24”, which equates to sometime between April-September 2023. Although this is quite a bit off the original release window, it’s great to see an update that places the release not too far away.
In an interview with IGN, Lord of the Rings: Gollum developers discussed the mechanics of this unique title, stating the player takes control of Gollum, which “mixes stealth with vertical climbing parkour” across “sets of levels and hubs”. Gollum’s fate is already “pretty much determined” by the books, as the game is based on the original book license (not the movies).
The story begins parallel to the first book, when Frodo is still in the Shire and knows nothing. Gollum ventures to Mordor, still desperately searching for Bilbo Baggins and the Ring. Unfortunately, he is captured by Sauron’s servants, and that is where the story begins.
With several Lord of the Rings spinoffs coming or on the way, from an Amazon-made MMO to a mobile RPG from EA to a return to Moria, LOTR fans will have their hands full with everything coming down the pipeline.
