Recently, Polish games translator Ryszard Chojnowski claimed that Warhorse Studios was working on the rumored The Lord of the Rings RPG. However, Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw, who first reported on the project, has recently revealed that this isn’t the case.
While noting that the Kingdom Come: Deliverance studio could be working on their own take on the acclaimed fantasy universe, Crystal Dynamics is allegedly the developer of this particular project. This is according to “those close to the game’s development,” but the studio and the Embracer Group declined to comment.
Apparently meant to compete with Hogwarts Legacy, the project is allegedly being developed with $100 million in funding from Abu Dhabi Investment Office. It’s reportedly a “bit away” as of now (same as last September), even though development has seemingly been ongoing for a while.
Of course, Crystal Dynamics has other projects in the works, such as Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst. The former is launching this year and offers a retelling of the series’ first title on Unreal Engine 5. The latter, out next year, takes place years after the events of Tomb Raider: Underworld, and promises to be the franchise’s biggest adventure yet.
Is it possible that the studio ramps up production on The Lord of the Rings RPG after Legacy of Atlantis or perhaps after Catalyst is out? Time will tell, but it would be interesting to see how it tackles Tolkien’s work.
