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The Lord of the Rings is one of the biggest and best-known entertainment franchises, but recent entries in the game series have left much to be desired. The series is continuing with at least one new game, an untitled open-world Middle-earth RPG from the developers of the popular Kingdom Come series. In this post, we’re rounding up everything we know about the game.
This post will be updated over time as more details come to light about the new Lord of the Rings game.
What is the new Lord of the Rings game?
In May 2026, Warhorse Studios announced it was making a “Middle-earth RPG” that would be an open-world game (the company also announced a new Kingdom Come game at the same time). The developer did not use “The Lord of the Rings” branding, but Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings are synonymous to many.
The stories that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, including his iconic The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, exist within Middle-earth. This is the word for the whole world that Tolkien created. It’s a vast mythology with numerous different locations to explore and characters to meet, not to mention the various different Ages of Middle-earth, so it will be intriguing to see where Warhorse’s story takes place and if any familiar characters show up.
The announcement was very light on details, while no imagery whatsoever was released, not even concept art or a mood piece. It’s possible the game was revealed for the purposes of helping ramp up hiring, or to signal to Embracer’s investors that more big games are coming to help improve confidence in the company and the stock.
“Deeply immersive”
During a community broadcast following the game’s unveiling, Warhorse communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwilling said Warhorse has assembled a “mind-blowing team” to make the game, and that the game is aiming to be “deeply immersive.”
He also said the game will feature a “living world” populated by “interesting characters, memorable places, and of course a strong narrative focus.” This does not tell us much of anything about the game, but it’s a starting point to help understand where the game may be headed. We also know that Deliverance 2 design director Viktor Bocan is leading the development of the untitled Lord of the Rings game.
When will the Lord of the Rings game be released?
The game was only just revealed, but already we have an indication as to when the Lord of the Rings game may be released. Warhorse said its next Kingdom Come game is targeting a release during Embracer’s next fiscal year (April 2027-March 2028), with The Lord of the Rings game following after. In short, it’s what you probably already guessed: the game is not releasing soon.
Fellowship Entertainment
As part of the announcement of the new Lord of the Rings game, Embracer confirmed that it will spin off a second unit, Fellowship Entertainment, which is described as an “IP-led entertainment company” focused on The Lord of the Rings, as well as Tomb Raider and “many other” owned IPs. Embracer said that creating Fellowship Entertainment and spinning it off will allow the standalone company to have a “better structure” to maximize its potential.
To be sure, Fellowship Entertainment may carry a Middle-earth-inspired name, but it’s much bigger than that. Companies under the Fellowship Entertainment banner include Middle-earth Enterprises, but also many of its subsidiaries, including 4A Games, Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal, Gunfire Games, and Warhorse itself.
Recent struggles
The Lord of the Rings video games have not been very well received lately. 2023’s The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was so poorly received that its developer canceled its next game and stopped making games entirely. 2025 saw the release of the cozy-looking Hobbit life-sim Tales of the Shire, but it was a critical miss as well. The game was delayed multiple times before launch, and Netflix backed out of a publishing deal for it.
These misfires came after better-received games came from Monlolith Productions, including 2014’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and 2017’s Middle-earth. Shadow of Mordor was GameSpot’s Game of the Year in 2014, and many other people and publications loved it.
Renaissance for LOTR games
After Embracer acquired Middle-earth Enterprises, the company said it was prototyping multiple new Lord of the Rings games, so the announcement of a game from an Embracer subsidiary, Warhorse, was not a complete shock. If Crystal Dynamics is making another Lord of the Rings game, that would track as well, given Embracer owns that studio and would have more favorable financial terms than working with an outside team.
Before Embracer’s comment about prototyping new Lord of the Rings game, the company’s top Lord of the Rings boss, Lee Guinchard, said he wanted there to be a renaissance for Lord of the Rings games. After all, many may recall the heyday of licensed games in the early 2000s when there were games based on Peter Jackson’s movie series and the Battle for Middle-earth franchise There were also Lego Lord of the Rings and Hobbit games that fans may fondly remember.
What about the next LOTR movies?
Beyond Warhorse’s new Lord of the Rings game, multiple new movies based on the series are in the works. The first to come is 2027’s The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which brings back Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, and Lee Pace as Thranduil. Jamie Dornan steps into the role of Aragorn, while Oscar-winner Kate Winslet will play Marigol in the film that Serkis is directing. After this movie will come the tentatively titled Shadow of the Past, featuring a script written by super-fan Stephen Colbert, and this movie will finally bring Tom Bombadil to the big screen.
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[[{“value”:”The Lord of the Rings is one of the biggest and best-known entertainment franchises, but recent entries in the game series have left much to be desired. The series is continuing with at least one new game, an untitled open-world Middle-earth RPG from the developers of the popular Kingdom Come series. In this post, we’re rounding up everything we know about the game.
This post will be updated over time as more details come to light about the new Lord of the Rings game.
In This Article
What is the new Lord of the Rings game?”Deeply immersive”When will the Lord of the Rings game be released?Fellowship EntertainmentRecent strugglesRenaissance for LOTR gamesWhat about the next LOTR movies?
What is the new Lord of the Rings game?
In May 2026, Warhorse Studios announced it was making a “Middle-earth RPG” that would be an open-world game (the company also announced a new Kingdom Come game at the same time). The developer did not use “The Lord of the Rings” branding, but Middle-earth and The Lord of the Rings are synonymous to many.
The stories that J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, including his iconic The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, exist within Middle-earth. This is the word for the whole world that Tolkien created. It’s a vast mythology with numerous different locations to explore and characters to meet, not to mention the various different Ages of Middle-earth, so it will be intriguing to see where Warhorse’s story takes place and if any familiar characters show up.
The announcement was very light on details, while no imagery whatsoever was released, not even concept art or a mood piece. It’s possible the game was revealed for the purposes of helping ramp up hiring, or to signal to Embracer’s investors that more big games are coming to help improve confidence in the company and the stock.
“Deeply immersive”
During a community broadcast following the game’s unveiling, Warhorse communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwilling said Warhorse has assembled a “mind-blowing team” to make the game, and that the game is aiming to be “deeply immersive.”
He also said the game will feature a “living world” populated by “interesting characters, memorable places, and of course a strong narrative focus.” This does not tell us much of anything about the game, but it’s a starting point to help understand where the game may be headed. We also know that Deliverance 2 design director Viktor Bocan is leading the development of the untitled Lord of the Rings game.
When will the Lord of the Rings game be released?
The game was only just revealed, but already we have an indication as to when the Lord of the Rings game may be released. Warhorse said its next Kingdom Come game is targeting a release during Embracer’s next fiscal year (April 2027-March 2028), with The Lord of the Rings game following after. In short, it’s what you probably already guessed: the game is not releasing soon.
Fellowship Entertainment
As part of the announcement of the new Lord of the Rings game, Embracer confirmed that it will spin off a second unit, Fellowship Entertainment, which is described as an “IP-led entertainment company” focused on The Lord of the Rings, as well as Tomb Raider and “many other” owned IPs. Embracer said that creating Fellowship Entertainment and spinning it off will allow the standalone company to have a “better structure” to maximize its potential.
To be sure, Fellowship Entertainment may carry a Middle-earth-inspired name, but it’s much bigger than that. Companies under the Fellowship Entertainment banner include Middle-earth Enterprises, but also many of its subsidiaries, including 4A Games, Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal, Gunfire Games, and Warhorse itself.
Recent struggles
The Lord of the Rings video games have not been very well received lately. 2023’s The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was so poorly received that its developer canceled its next game and stopped making games entirely. 2025 saw the release of the cozy-looking Hobbit life-sim Tales of the Shire, but it was a critical miss as well. The game was delayed multiple times before launch, and Netflix backed out of a publishing deal for it.
These misfires came after better-received games came from Monlolith Productions, including 2014’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and 2017’s Middle-earth. Shadow of Mordor was GameSpot’s Game of the Year in 2014, and many other people and publications loved it.
Renaissance for LOTR games
After Embracer acquired Middle-earth Enterprises, the company said it was prototyping multiple new Lord of the Rings games, so the announcement of a game from an Embracer subsidiary, Warhorse, was not a complete shock. If Crystal Dynamics is making another Lord of the Rings game, that would track as well, given Embracer owns that studio and would have more favorable financial terms than working with an outside team.
Before Embracer’s comment about prototyping new Lord of the Rings game, the company’s top Lord of the Rings boss, Lee Guinchard, said he wanted there to be a renaissance for Lord of the Rings games. After all, many may recall the heyday of licensed games in the early 2000s when there were games based on Peter Jackson’s movie series and the Battle for Middle-earth franchise There were also Lego Lord of the Rings and Hobbit games that fans may fondly remember.
What about the next LOTR movies?
Beyond Warhorse’s new Lord of the Rings game, multiple new movies based on the series are in the works. The first to come is 2027’s The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which brings back Elijah Wood as Frodo, Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Andy Serkis as Gollum, and Lee Pace as Thranduil. Jamie Dornan steps into the role of Aragorn, while Oscar-winner Kate Winslet will play Marigol in the film that Serkis is directing. After this movie will come the tentatively titled Shadow of the Past, featuring a script written by super-fan Stephen Colbert, and this movie will finally bring Tom Bombadil to the big screen. “}]] Read More GameSpot – All Content
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