Amazon Games head Jeff Grattis has explained the future of The Lord of the Rings.
In 2023, Amazon Games announced a massive MMO based on The Lord of the Rings, but things have been pretty quiet around the title ever since. Rumors are even mounting that Amazon has scrapped the project.
This weekEurogamer published an interview with Amazon Head of Games Jeff Grattis. He confirmed that a Lord of the Rings game is still in development. But the outlook for the MMO remains bleak.
Middle-earth is coming, the question is only how
Eurogamer claimedin an interviewthat it had a reliable source stating that the LOTR MMO had been shelved at Amazon. Grattis commented on this as follows:
Our creative team continues to work on developing a compelling new gaming experience that does justice to Tolkien’s world; we are working closely with Middle-earth and remain enthusiastic about this IP.
Eurogamer interpreted this statement as confirmation that the MMO had indeed been scrapped. Other platforms,including MassivelyOP, do not see this as clear confirmation.
Regardless of the interpretation, however, Grattis’ statement makes it clear that Amazon Gamesis still developing a Lord of the Rings game. The only question is what it will ultimately become. Whether it’s a massive MMO, a fantastic role-playing game, or just a free-to-play cash grab remains to be seen.
How realistic is the MMO?
The only thing currently pointing toward the LoR MMO is that Amazon hasnot officially canceled it to date. On the other hand, however, several pieces of evidence have accumulated in the meantime.
The source: Eurogamer is a reputable gaming outlet, and it is unlikely that they would confront the head of Amazon Games about the cancellation of the MMO if they did not consider their source to be reliable.
No longer listed: Furthermore, the entry for the Lord of the Rings MMO has been removed from the Amazon Games page. All other announced games are still listed.
Moving away from MMOs: Overall, things are looking bleak for Amazon on the MMO front. The servers forNew World: Aeternumwill be shut down on January 31, 2027, and Amazon is increasingly pulling back from publishingLost ArkandThrone and Liberty
The path of Crimson Desert?
It’s quite possible that Amazon hasn’t scrapped development of the Lord of the Rings game entirely, but has switched genres due to its mixed experiences with MMOs and the general trend toward service-based games. The Steam hit Crimson Desert was also originally developed as an online game and only later transitioned to a single-player RPG.