Amazon Game Studios developing F2P The Lord of the Rings MMO game

Amazon Game Studios, Leyou Technologies and Middle-earth Enterprises have just announced a partnership for the development of a free-to-play massively multiplayer game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings franchise.

The as of yet unnamed game is the same that was announced in September 2018 by Athlon Games. Development is being handled by the same team that is working on the sandbox MMO New World, with PC and consoles as the target platforms. A global release is planned, with Amazon Game Studios handling everything related to marketing and publishing, except for China where Leyou will take the reins. It's too early to have a release date, so let's look at the rest of the info. Sadly, there isn't much to sink your teeth where it comes to the game itself.

The original announcement said that the new Lord of the Rings game is set in Middle-earth during the years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. Players will explore the vast world of Tolkien, something that makes us presume that this will be an MMORPG.

The Lord of the Rings MMO is being developed by a team that includes veterans who have worked on Everquest, Destiny, Planetside, World of Warcraft, Defiance, Rift, and other renowned MMOs.

While unrelated, Amazon Studios is also working on a Amazon Original TV series based on The Lord of the Rings for Prime Video.

“We’re committed to bringing customers games of the highest quality, both with our own original IP as well as beloved cultural pillars like The Lord of the Rings,” said Christoph Hartmann, VP, Amazon Game Studios. “Tolkien’s Middle-earth is one of the richest fictional worlds in history, and it gives our team of experienced MMO developers – from the same studio developing New World – tremendous opportunity to play and create. We have a strong leadership team in place to helm this new project, and we’re actively growing our team to help build this incredible experience.”

“Bringing Middle-earth to life necessitates having the very best partners, and Amazon’s customer obsession, technology, and talented teams make it the ideal choice for a co-developer and publisher,” said Alex Xu, CEO of Leyou Technologies Holdings. “We believe our combined resources and expertise will result in a beautiful and compelling game that customers will love and play for years to come.”

“Who among us hasn’t wanted to take part in an epic adventure,” said Fredrica Drotos, Chief Brand and Licensing Officer at Middle-earth Enterprises.  “More than 60 years after the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring, we’re delighted that Amazon Game Studios has partnered with Leyou to bring their respective expertise to build a much anticipated game that will immerse us in the beloved, epic world of Middle-earth, envisioned by Professor Tolkien.”

It was mentioned before that Amazon Game Studios' The Lord of the Rings MMO and Standing Stone Games' existing The Lord of the Rings Online will run side by side, so don't expect the new game to replace or cancel the older one. The official name of the game will be revealed soon.