A “free” massively multiplayer online game based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien to compete with Codemasters’ ‘Lord of the Rings Online’ has come to an end before even hitting the market. It looks like now there is only one way to have an online adventure in Middle Earth.
Kotaku reports that the MMO in development via Amazon and Leyou Technologies Holdings Limited is kaput. Last year LTHL was purchased by Tencent. This looks to be the source of the issue. A statement was released by Amazon recently. It narrows down what caused the cancellation. The company mentions that it had “been unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time.”
I wouldn’t entirely rule the project out yet. Tencent won’t want to pass up what could be a potential cash cow. Possibly more negotiations will be had. Perhaps we’ll see something announced when Amazon’s ‘LotR’ series debuts.
The ‘Lord of the Rings’ title was announced in 2019. After the initial news, things had been pretty quiet. Given the time it takes to craft an MMO, a year or so is far too soon to expect anything worth showing. So, we really have no idea how this thing was coming along.
If you’re looking for a way to enjoy the characters and lore of Tolkien’s stories, the original MMO from 2007 is still up and running. Best of all, it’s free. I had played it for a time in the late 2000s. It isn’t as polished as, say, ‘World of Warcraft,’ but it has a lot of charm of its own.
Though LotRO is a bit dated, the game is still fun to play. You can sign up to play for free by clicking here.
Were you eagerly awaiting this game? Did you play Codemasters’ version of ‘LotR’? Let us know in the comments.
[Source: Kotaku]
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