A new Lord of the Rings video game is on the way.

To go along with the new Lord of the Rings series in the works from Amazon, a new game is being developed – unsurprisingly, also by Amazon. The game — still untitled — will be a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). Amazon Game Studios announced it is teaming up with Leyou Technologies and its Athlon Games label to create the free-to-play game, which is set to give fans an “immersive” Middle Earth experience.

In a press release, Amazon said: “The game will give fans around the globe a new, immersive game experience for epic exploration of the vast world of Tolkien.”

The game won’t be connected to the Amazon TV series from a plot standpoint, but it does represent a noteworthy milestone in Amazon’s own online game technology. They already provide servers for MMO’s, such that a developer who wants to make one doesn’t have to make a direct investment in hardware anymore. All the servers are going to be in Amazon’s cloud architecture now, meaning they can scale the number of supporting servers up or down as needs require.

The project is in good hands. The developer Leyou Technologies Holdings Limited is the same developer and publisher of the popular MMO Warframe.

There have already been a number of games set in Middle Earth, including Middle-earth: Shadow of MordorThe Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, and console games based on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Earlier this year, Daedalic Entertainment had announced development on its own game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

“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,” added Christoph Hartmann, vice president of 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.”

Middle-earth Enterprises, which controls the non-literary rights to Tolkien’s work, is also involved with the game and is excited about the venture.

In a statement, brand and licensing boss Fredrica Drotos said: “Who among us hasn’t wanted to take part in an epic adventure?”

The title is being made for console and PC. There is as yet no announced release date.

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SCIFI Radio Staff
SCIFI Radio Staff

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