The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is an exciting game because it promises to look at famous characters from The Lord of the Rings in a new light. The game has the potential to work wonders for Gollum's character, exploring his complicated past and the choices he makes, but there will be plenty of other characters too. Through Gollum's eyes, players will likely see Gandalf on his adventures around Middle-earth, and they'll meet other notable figures like Thranduil, king of the Mirkwood elves. Based on the time period where The Lord of the Rings: Gollum takes place, players will see events in these characters that aren't captured by the books.
However, it seems likely that The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will omit Bilbo Baggins. There's no doubt that Bilbo could appear in the game and would be worthy of an appearance. He is important to Gollum's life story, but considering when the game takes place and which parts of Gollum's life it's meant to emphasize, Daedalic Entertainment could decide Bilbo shouldn't appear. Instead, the game might focus more on Gollum's life after he loses the One Ring, and what he does when faced with that tremendous change.
Bilbo Could Open Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Bilbo only enters Gollum's life briefly during the events of The Hobbit, but by unintentionally stealing the One Ring he has a major impact on Gollum's life. Up until that point, Gollum had possessed the One Ring for hundreds of years as it extended his life and corrupted his mind. Because Gollum lived in such dark and secret places, he was almost completely disconnected from the outside world until Bilbo came along and destroyed the life Gollum had built for himself.
That's why it's possible that LotR: Gollum will include Bilbo Baggins. The loss of the One Ring is a crucial moment in Gollum's life; it's hard to discuss Gollum's story properly without talking about his meeting with Bilbo. Daedalic could decide to use Bilbo's theft as the opening scene for the game, providing context for its central plot involving Gollum wandering Middle-earth in search of his precious. Bilbo's game of riddles with Gollum and his eventual decision to flee would serve as a solid opening cutscene, grounding the game in an important canon moment from the get-go.
There'd be mechanical benefits to an intro involving Bilbo, too. When Gollum realizes the Ring is missing and suspects Bilbo has it, he chases Bilbo through the Misty Mountain's goblin caves, which could serve as a tutorial segment for LotR: Gollum's stealth and platforming mechanics. The setting of the chase is self-contained and free from distractions like other major characters, and the chase is an iconic Lord of the Rings moment, so Daedalic wouldn't have much trouble using it as a tutorial.
Why Daedalic Entertainment Might Omit Bilbo
Even with all that in mind, there's a decent chance Bilbo won't make an appearance. It's worth considering that LotR: Gollum aims to be all about Gollum's story after he loses the Ring, rather than rehashing events of The Hobbit or emphasizing core scenes from The Lord of the Rings. An opening cutscene involving Bilbo Baggins might feel out of place if players go the rest of the game without getting close to the One Ring or Frodo Baggins.
What's more, Bilbo himself might be something of a distraction from LotR: Gollum's story. Bilbo is the main character of The Hobbit, so an intro focused on Bilbo might set the wrong tone for the game by giving him as much attention as Gollum. Bilbo Baggins is a great character, and it'd be wonderful to see a new \adaptation of The Hobbit in the style of LotR: Gollum, but that doesn't mean he should appear during the events of this game. There's ways refer back to Bilbo's actions in the goblin caves and give context to Gollum's story without putting the spotlight on Bilbo.
LotR: Gollum might be better off focusing on Gollum's loneliness and his own thoughts, rather than adding in too many other Lord of the Rings characters. After all, that's a major selling point of the game. LotR: Gollum players will see the bitter, Ring-sculpted Gollum clash with his gentler Smeagol personality, and then make choices that guide his morals. The game seems intended to be an examination of his psychology. While certain characters like Gandalf can help shed light on Gollum's internal struggle, Bilbo isn't one of them. Bilbo's theft motivates Gollum's journey, but Bilbo himself has very little to do with the mental turmoil that's at the heart of LotR: Gollum.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum's Curious Journey
One wonders just how many named characters will come into contact with Gollum over the course of LotR: Gollum. While its identity as a stealth game doesn't necessarily prevent Gollum from speaking with notable characters, Gollum's own personality may get in the way. He's famously sneaky and distrustful, generally avoiding other people as much as possible while trying to get what he wants. That means there might be very few named characters aside from the confirmed Gandalf, Thranduil, and Mouth of Sauron.
That makes it seems likely that Bilbo Baggins won't play a role in LotR: Gollum, even if he has ample reason to do so. At the most, Bilbo's encounter with Gollum might be referenced during certain cutscenes, like flashbacks at the beginning of Gollum's story. He almost certainly won't pop up in the midst of the game, though. As a story about Gollum's lonely journey without the One Ring, there isn't much opportunity to justify Bilbo's presence beyond a single scene that the game could easily summarize, rather than discussing it in detail. Bilbo and Gollum's time together in The Hobbit is iconic, but that doesn't mean it has to be the crux of LotR: Gollum's story.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum releases in 2022 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.