Amazon is working with the Chinese company Leyou Technologies on a new MMO based on Lord of the Rings. Now there is first information about the game, albeit only from job descriptions.
What kind of MMO is this? The new MMO based on Lord of the Rings is being developed by Leyou Technologies, which holds a large stake in the Warframe developer Digital Extremes.
It is to be supported by employees from Amazon’s own MMO New World as well as new hires. Among the developers are already veterans who have worked on games like Planetside, WoW, Everquest, Defiance, and Rift.
The MMO is intended to be Free2Play and will be released for both PC and consoles. The story is supposed to take place before the films and books, so there is no conflict with the already existing MMORPG Lord of the Rings Online.
Differences to LOTRO and Deep Tolkien Knowledge Required
What new information is there now? Amazon has published various job descriptions for the “Lord of the Rings” MMO. These reveal small details about the game:
- In the description for the UX Designer, it states that the MMO is meant to be significantly different from other “Lord of the Rings” games and media. Additionally, the game is supposed to include a large number of intertwining features, similar to other MMORPGs.
- The Narrative Designer, on the other hand, should have a deep knowledge of Tolkien to create realistic landscapes, peoples, characters, and cinematics for Middle-earth.
- The Art Director is to work with a world-class art team to produce stunning visuals related to Lord of the Rings.
This was the first time the term MMORPG was mentioned in connection with the new “Lord of the Rings” project. Furthermore, the game apparently aims to differ strongly from LOTRO, which will receive a new expansion with a playable race next week.
When will the new “Lord of the Rings” MMO be released? So far, Leyou Technologies and Amazon are keeping very tight-lipped about their MMO. It is still in its early stages, and development only began in September 2018. A release is still a long way off.
From Amazon’s perspective, it is noticeable that the work on New World currently appears to be stalled. Although they confirmed to us that work is still being done on the MMO, we currently hear nothing more about the game.
It is quite possible that the layoffs leading up to E3 have caused many changes to the teams. The effects of these on New World or Lord of the Rings are uncertain.
