Fans of “The Lord of the Rings” are expecting exciting times. Not only do we have several new movies and series on the way, but also games. The head of Embracer Freemode, the rights holder, shares his grand plans for the brand.
What about the Middle-earth license? Currently, there are some new projects set in the universe of “The Lord of the Rings”. The focus is especially on games, movies, and series.
The rights to the license are held by Embracer Freemode, owner of Middle-earth Enterprises. However, the company does not own the rights to the books, which remain with the heirs of the author J.R.R. Tolkien.
The head of Embracer Freemode, Lee Guinchard, spoke in an interview with venturebeat.com about his great ambitions and revealed that the upcoming MMORPG from Amazon will only be the beginning of a full-blown Tolkien offensive.
Here you can see the trailer for one of the upcoming games, Tales of the Shire:
A multiplatform franchise is to be created
What does Lee Guinchard say? The CEO wants to emphasize what a big fan of “The Lord of the Rings” he is. Tolkien’s world means a lot to him, and it would be his endeavor to keep it alive for many years to come.
He wants to create a “multiplatform franchise” that explores Tolkien’s cosmos in depth through various media. These would include games like the upcoming MMORPG currently in development at Amazon.
Within the Embracer Group, there was no team that had experience with MMORPGs, which is why they engaged Amazon Studios, who are already active in this area with New World.
The MMORPG is being developed independently of the Amazon series “The Rings of Power,” of which Guinchard says he expected something different; overall, he liked the series.
However, there are other developers who, according to Guinchard, are interested in the Middle-earth license. These include studios like Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider), Eidos Montreal (Deus Ex), and Warhorse, who are currently working on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Some smaller games like the cozy game Tales of the Shire are already on the way, but like the notorious Gollum game, they were commissioned before the acquisition by Embracer.
Overall, Guinchard comes across as ambitious but also says:
Not everything will work out. We know that. But we are really creating an ecosystem and an agile company that invites creators to create things in this world. That’s the plan.
Lee Guinchard via venturebeat.com
What movies can we expect? In addition to the upcoming 2nd season of the Amazon series, we can also expect new movies in the “Lord of the Rings” universe. Just a few days ago, “The Hunt for Gollum” was announced, which is set before “The Fellowship of the Ring.” The film has already caused excitement upon announcement, because there is already a fan film with the same title.
Additionally, the animated film “The War of the Rohirrim” is set to hit theaters in December. Fans of the brand can look forward to some interesting projects. How the proposed interconnected universe across various media will work remains to be seen. MeinMMO author Benedict Grothaus is definitely looking forward to the Hobbit game Tales of the Shire – here you can read why.
