A new strategy game for The Lord of the Rings? Yes, you read that right. But don’t rejoice too soon, because the free-to-play title will not be released for PC, but mobile devices.
The news that EA is developing a new game in the Lord of the Rings universe should be cause for celebration among gaming fans. After all, the publisher’s titles are considered very good, from the action adventure The Return of the King to the strategy favourite The Battle for Middle-earth:
Don’t get too excited though. Because yes, EA has announced that they will be working with rights holder Middle-earth Enterprises to develop a new game based around the One Ring. And yes, it’s even supposed to be a turn-based strategy game. What could possibly go wrong?
Free-to-play conversion for mobile devices
The answer: it’s only coming out for mobile devices and relies on a free-to-play business model. This means that you will probably be able to play the basic version for free and will be asked to pay for additional content such as more hero characters.
Especially piquant: Hidden in the small print is the hint that random items are also included in the in-game purchases. This smells strongly of the unpopular lootboxes
What is it about? Not much is known about the game yet. The official press release is silent about the plot. Together with the responsible developer Capital Games, EA emphasises how happy they are to finally be working on a game in the Middle-earth cosmos again.
The most important statements for the gameplay are probably in this quote from Fredrica Drotos, Chief Brand & Licensing Officer at Middle-earth Enterprises:
” The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth will feature immersive storytelling, turn-based combat, deep gathering systems and a wide range of characters from the vast universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Players will fight their way through iconic stories from the world of Tolkien and take on the great evils of Middle-earth “.
Incidentally, you can now also take up the fight against the great evils in The Lord of the Rings Online. The MMO, which is now 15 years old, has a huge amount of content available for free-to-play players (made).
Star Wars as a role model?
Even if the first gameplay is still waiting, it is worth taking a look at EA’s own portfolio to get a potential foretaste. With Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, another free-to-play game has been in the App Stores since 2015, and its extensive hero line-up is reminiscent of the new Tolkien title.
So it’s quite possible that the developers are taking their cue from Galaxy of Heroes in other respects as well. And after all: The Star Wars title currently has good ratings with 4 out of 5 stars at Android and 4.6 out of 5 stars in the Apple App Store.
When will it be released? A concrete release date has not yet been named. A beta phase is to start in some areas in the summer of 2022.
What do you think about the new Lord of the Rings game? Top, flop or wait and see? Feel free to write us your opinion in the comments!
