Amazon Game Studios has announced it’s working on a new MMORPG based on the literary world of The Lord of the Rings.
The as-of-yet untitled project will be free-to-play and will release for both PC and console.
Game developers on-board for the project have a pretty impressive back-catalogue between them, including work on Everquest, Destiny, Planetside, World of Warcraft, Defiance and Rift.
Interestingly, Amazon Studios has made it clear that the game is in no way related to the upcoming Amazon LOTR television series, saying in a press release: “The game and TV show are unrelated and being developed separately.”
However, the announcement might spell bad news for one of the highest-rated MMORPGs of all time, and one that just so happens to also be based on the literary works of J. R. R. Tolkien.
Lord of the Rings Online is a (now) free-to-play MMORPG that’s been running since 2007, amassing millions of players and scooping some impressive accolades on its journey.
For LOTRO fans who have concerns over the Amazon announcement, it looks like an archived Reddit post might be able to alleviate your concerns.
Last year, a Reddit user reached out to Middle-Earth Enterprises, who handles merchandising rights associated with the Tolkien works, and voiced concerns about the new LOTR game and the existing Lord of the Rings Online.
The Redditor claims they received the following response: “The expanse of Turbine’s interpretation of Middle-earth, with regard to the lore and the actual geography, is incredibly immersive and satisfying. (I recently dived back into LOTRO after taking a few years off and love the polish and streamlining implemented by SSG.)
“Please be assured that all parties involved intend to proceed exactly as you hope; LOTRO and Athlon will co-exist within the Middle-earth universe, and create complementary experiences for fans.
“Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing your concern. See you in Middle-earth.”
GameByte has reached out for comment.
Featured Image Credit: Turbine