Insider Gaming has reported on a new title set within The Lord of the Rings franchise. A source indicates a deal is in the works with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and would see funding of roughly $100 million being poured into the project. The outlet also revealed this is only a portion of the funding, meaning fans can likely expect a larger budget.
This Lord of the Rings game has supposedly been in development for some time and will be made official soon. There aren’t many details, but the source says it will be a third-person action game that will “compete with Hogwarts Legacy” in some capacity. It’s an apt comparison considering the size of both IPs, the target audiences, and the sheer success Hogwarts Legacy had when it released a few years ago.
It appears the deal is not yet signed, which means the Abu Dhabi Investment Office could pull out before this funding is allocated. The deal includes several studios, particularly Embracer, which holds the rights to The Lord of the Rings IP for video games, and Revenge. This does not necessarily mean these will be the companies responsible for the game, as Embracer has licensed out the IP to other studios, as seen with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
None of the studios involved gave any indication of the validity of this rumor and refused to comment. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a new Lord of the Rings game being developed, as there have been successful games like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. Even with the recent stumble of games in this IP, fans still have hope.
Famous IPs are seeing more and more games released throughout the years. Harry Potter has seen both Hogwarts Legacy and Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. Halloween is set to receive a horror game in 2026, as well as Hellraiser: Revival. With the large following of IPs like The Lord of the Rings has, there will likely continue to be a stream of these projects — and so many opportunities to explore given their rich worlds.
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