Five Lord of the Rings games set for 2023/2024 release dates — what are they?

h Embracer Group is the Swedish conglomerate which bought (sort of?) the adaptation rights from The Lord of the Rings last year, says there are no less than five games based on Tolkien’s works in production that will see release over the next two years.

All the games were made by outside partners. Embracer has acquired rights holder Middle-earth Enterprises and will be receiving royalties for all.

It is not clear when the titles will be released. Embracer’s most recent financial report says to expect them in the financial year 2023/24 (so by the end of March 2024), but another presentation of the same figures mentions that five titles will release “during the next 24 months.” Either way, that’s a lot of Middle-earth gaming action in a relatively short space of time.

These are five video games.

One of these is most definitely The Lord of the Rings – GollumDeadalic Entertainment’s stealth action-adventure, “The Assassin”, was delayed from its September 2022 launch date to a spring 2023 release.

Another is likely EA’s “collectible role-playing game” for mobiles, The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earthFrom the developer Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes.

There’s also The Lord of the Rings: Return To MoriaFree Range Games has released a survival- and crafting game called ‘Free Range Games’. In it, players take on the role of Dwarves, who are responsible for recolonizing an artificially generated version below the Misty Mountains.

A fourth could be an untitled game being made by Weta Workshop, the New Zealand digital effects studio that worked on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, as well as James Cameron’s Avatar movies. Weta has partnered with Take-Two’s boutique publishing arm Private Division for the game, and although it sounds early in development, Private Division said it would release in Take-Two’s “fiscal year 2024,” putting it in the same window described by Embracer.

What about the fifth? Honestly, we don’t know. It’s most likely an unannounced title. Whether all these games will be released when Embracer says they will is also unknown — the company is likely being as optimistic as possible with release dates as it curries favor with investors.

Embracer Group, a fast-growing gaming conglomerate has gone on an acquisition spree over the past few years. It has bought, among others, Eidos Montreal and Crystal Dynamics (along with the Tomb Raider and Deus Ex franchises), Borderlands studio Gearbox, Plaion (the rebranded owner of Deep Silver and the Saint’s Row games), board game behemoth Asmodee (which has its own successful Lord of the Rings line), and Dark Horse Comics.

Embracer will collaborate with Amazon for a Tomb Raider series of TV shows and a Tomb Raider video game. Embracer believes that Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and the Tomb Raider video will both be released in the next five-years as part of five triple A games.

Embracer’s acquisition of Middle-earth Enterprises came as a surprise. While the rights holder was likely to be sold to an industry giant or Hollywood studio at a higher price, there were questions regarding its TV and film rights. Embracer took this as a surprise. Embracer also mentions “one film in production by an external partner,” which is likely Warner Bros.’ anime production, The War of the Rohirrim: The Lord of the Rings.