The Lord of the Rings might be headed back into AAA gaming in a big way. According to a new report, a third-person action game set in Middle-earth has been in development for some time, with a rumored $100 million budget on the line.
The deal, which involves the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), is not finalized yet but could be signed as early as next week. Until now, development has been funded internally.
What Kind of Game Will It Be?
The project is being described as a large-scale action game in the vein of Hogwarts Legacy. It’s supposedly mixing story-driven exploration with RPG elements. That comparison alone has players both excited and skeptical. Excited at the idea of a fully explorable Middle-earth, but skeptical after Embracer’s recent track record (The Lord of the Rings: Gollum left a bad taste for many).
Multiple studios are said to be involved, including a developer called Revenge, mostly known for mobile games. Embracer Group, who bought the LOTR video game rights back in 2022, declined to comment on the report.
Community Hype and Concerns
Players are already sharing wishlists – everything from a Nemesis System revival to an RPG set in a different Age of Middle-earth. Most just want a faithful, story-driven adventure without the copy-paste open world design seen in so many modern games.
Either way, the idea of a big-budget Lord of the Rings game is enough to get people talking. If the $100M deal goes through, we might hear more about the project very soon.
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