Amazon Game Studios has partnered with Leyou Technologies-owned Athlon Games to develop a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game for both consoles and PC that will take place in the Middle-earth portrayed in The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy. No specific platforms have yet been announced, but the PS4, Xbox One, and PC are most likely in the mix. It’s “at a time long before the events of The Lord of the Rings, exploring lands, people and creatures never seen before by fans of the Tolkien universe,” according to Athlon. Read more for a video with a few additional details.
Why has Athlon Games partnered with Amazon? Well, Amazon has an upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series, also rumored to be set in Middle-earth long before J.R.R Tolkien’s main series, so it would only make sense for a tie-in. “We’re committed to bringing customers games of the highest quality, both with our own original [intellectual property] as well as beloved cultural pillars like ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ 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,” said Amazon Game Studios is led by VP Christoph Hartmann.
