A new The Lord of the Rings MMORPG is currently being developed by the Amazon Games studio behind New World. Amazon has officially confirmed that it's partnering with Middle-earth Enterprises to create a new game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit novels. Details regarding the MMORPG remain in short supply, but Amazon does make clear that it will go to great efforts to be "respectful and authentic" to The Lord of the Rings source material.
There may be some initial confusion surrounding Amazon's The Lord of the Rings announcement. For one, Amazon has been associated with another The Lord of the Rings MMO for the past several years. That project, first announced in 2019, was canceled in April 2021 amid complications with developer Leyou when it was acquired by Tencent. The new The Lord of the Rings MMO from Amazon also shouldn't be confused with The Lord of the Rings Online, which remains in active development nearly 16 years after launch.
Amazon's now-announced The Lord of the Rings MMORPG is an entirely new project. It's being made internally by Amazon's Orange County studio, which launched its first project New World in 2021. Content in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings MMO will draw from both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit as it seeks to create a "vast, connected digital world" for players to experience Middle-earth.
One thing that Amazon Orange County wants to make clear is that The Lord of the Rings MMO will not be a "New World 2.0." The development team will draw on its experiences in New World, which remains in active development, to create a unique experience. The Lord of the Rings MMO will build on ideas and technology used in New World, like New World's massive multiplayer battles, but in a way more fitting to the world of Middle-earth and its epic fantasy themes.
With New World still in active development, it's unclear exactly when work began on The Lord of the Rings MMO. Under the assumption that it was a recent move, that means The Lord of the Rings project is almost certainly years away from coming to fruition. Fans shouldn't expect any further news for some time.
Any announcement of an MMO is certain to be received warmly by the overall gaming community, especially if it's based on a world as popular as The Lord of the Rings. However, New World's reviews have been middling and Amazon's other MMO Lost Ark is controversial for its microtransactions and free-to-play systems. There are plenty of worries to go hand in hand with all the excitement. Fans will just have to see what Amazon creates.
The Lord of the Rings MMO is in development.