Late last year, it was suspected that Amazon had done away with the developing Lord of the Rings MMO. The belief that the game had been axed came after news surfaced on social media regarding layoffs at Amazon Games, which impacted the ‘fledgling Lord of the Rings game’.
It was never explicitly confirmed that it had been canceled, but a new comment from Amazon’s Head of Games, Jeff Grattis, seems to align with that notion. It’s not all bad, as the team is still working on a Lord of the Rings game, even if it’s not an MMO.
What’s Happening With Lord of the Rings Games?
In a new report from Eurogamer, Jeff Grattis explained what the state of play is with Lord of the Rings at Amazon Games. The head honcho in the gaming space at the tech titan played it safe and didn’t use definitive terms, but suggested that something LOTR-related is still in the works:
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 was in response to a question directly asking if the LOTR MMO had been shelved.
It was back in 2023 that the Lord of the Rings MMO was first announced, but Amazon Games fell into radio silence. Even when layoffs became apparent across social media, the team declined to make any clear statements about the future of the title, which, according to dismissed former employees, would have been something special.
Months ago, a paradigm shift took place at Amazon Games, with hundreds of developers moving away from New World, which is going offline next year. They were shifted onto Lord of the Rings, which was subsequently canceled (but not confirmed), hence further layoffs landed at the firm.
According to Eurogamer’s source, the only developers left standing at Amazon Games in the MMO space are working on Lost Ark, Throne and Liberty, and New World, but all of them could be staring down temporary gigs.
Would you have liked to see the Lord of the Rings MMO materialize? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that ARC Raiders is getting a new trader
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Comments