Amazon is rumored to have canceled the development of its upcoming Lord of the Rings video game.
While the game had been in development at Amazon Game Studios in partnership with Tencent’s Leyou Technologies, it’s now been reported that development has been shuttered following a contract dispute between megacorps Amazon and Tencent.
An Amazon spokesperson has told Bloomberg that following Tencent’s acquisition of Leyou, it has “been unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time”.
“We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we won’t be bringing this game to customers,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
There have been plenty of Lord of the Rings IP in recent years, including Monolith Production’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The next game to be set in JRR Tolkien’s fantasy world is Daedalic Entertainment’s The Lord of the Rings: Gollum which is expected to launch in 2021.
Amazon is pinning most of its Lord of the Rings hopes on its Prime Video series. The game would have been a convenient complement to the show, but there’s little doubt that it would have earned far less money. This is mostly disappointing for fans. While it wouldn’t be the only LotR online game, Amazon’s clout and series tie-in could have made it a mainstream success.
