Amazon Games has announced a new MMO set in the world of The Lord of the Rings. It is set to release on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. Since 2007, there has already been an MMORPG in Tolkien’s world with “The Lord of the Rings Online“. However, according to the head of Amazon Games, this is not seen as competition.
This is the situation:
- On May 15, Amazon Games announced plans to develop a new MMO based on The Lord of the Rings. It is expected to offer an open world. The head of Amazon’s gaming division aims for the new MMO to be “the biggest MMO” ever and to bring new people into the genre.
- Since 2007, there has been “The Lord of the Rings Online”, which is still being developed, known for its great narrative, its world, its community, and its fidelity to Tolkien’s work.
“Like Color Films Compared to Black and White”
This is what Amazon says about the MMORPG: In a conversation with Gamesindustry.biz, Christoph Hartmann, the German head of Amazon, is asked about the current MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings.
He is asked whether it is a disadvantage for Amazon’s new MMO that the old game has a 16-year head start. However, Hartmann believes that his game has no disadvantages compared to The Lord of the Rings Online.
He says comparing the two titles is like comparing films from the black-and-white era with color films:
First of all: I have a lot of respect for the fact that they have kept it going for so long. They may not have a huge fanbase, but they do have a very dedicated one. But if you just look at the technology, where we are now, where we will be in a few years [and the state of The Lord of the Rings Online] – there are simply worlds in between. It is somewhat exaggerated to say: It’s like black-and-white films switching to color films, but that’s the perspective I want to take. It’s simply a completely different world.
“People Will Leave It and Come to Us”
This is what Hartmann says about what will happen to the old MMORPG: The manager says that in his view, the two games could theoretically coexist:
But the most likely scenario is that people simply switch to us because the other is an old game. It’s not a bad game, but the industry progresses at a certain point and there is a long time between their release and ours.
Head of Amazon Games Doesn’t Use the Term “MMORPG”
Will the new game be an MMORPG? Gamesindustry points out that the new game based on The Lord of the Rings is only referred to as “MMO”, not as MMORPG.
Hartmann doesn’t use the term “MMORPG”. He apparently plans something different and doesn’t think in these strict genre categories of the past. Other developers like ESO head Matt Firor have rejected the term “MMORPG” for their game, The Elder Scrolls Online, stating it is a term from 2005 (WoW), and today the games are different.
Hartmann also says that compared to games of the past, everything today needs to happen “faster and faster”.
People need to quickly understand the mechanics and receive early rewards. Everything revolves around easy accessibility and early rewards. After that, players can be gradually improved.
Hartmann apparently primarily wants to make an MMO because he sees so much potential in that area:
Battle royale games, like Fortnite or PUBG, were the hot topics for a long time, everyone wanted to make one. They were the hot thing. But I think: MMOs are also pretty cool, but haven’t received the attention they did 10 years ago. That’s why we are strategically entering this space.
Even though Hartmann never mentioned the term “MMORPG”, he emphasizes in the interview that Amazon’s game based on The Lord of the Rings is intended to last for 10 years and should only be released when it is ready. He does not want to commit to a release date or any timeframe.
More about Christoph Hartmann and his statements on the new MMO based on The Lord of the Rings:
