Pop the champagne: the development of an open-world action-RPG set in The Lord of the Rings has been announced. And given the pedigree of the studio leading the project, we’re already buzzing with excitement.
As the cinematic side of Middle-earth is in full swing with a flood of announced projects—from Andy Serkis’ The Hunt for Gollum, to a direct sequel to The Return of the King, to Season 3 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and a slew of other Tolkien book adaptations—the video game front is moving at a noticeably different pace.
In practice, the Lord of the Rings license has never stopped producing video game content since the 1980s, totalling around forty titles across generations and platforms. We still remember standout gems, such as the sprawling Return of the King from the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era, or the brilliant Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War duology. And now the saga looks set to return in grand fashion with a studio of aesthetes at the helm.
The Warhorse of The Lord of the Rings
When we talk about a big studio at the helm, we’re talking about Warhorse Studios, the geniuses of the demanding medieval RPG. Revealed with the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance, the studio delighted RPG fans with its immersive, historically authentic knightly simulation, before following up with an even more staggering second installment. Their hallmark is simple: blood, mud, and an uncompromising insistence on delivering a genuine player experience.
The announcement, posted on Warhorse’s social channels, describes an open-world action-RPG anchored in The Lord of the Rings, and the studio has also confirmed working on a “new adventure” for Kingdom Come. The wording suggests a hybrid project, balancing a self-contained, autonomous expansion with a larger, 2.5-era entry designed to broaden the Kingdom Come universe.
“You may have heard the rumors, it’s time to reveal what we’re working on. An open-world RPG in Middle-earth. A new Kingdom Come adventure. We can’t wait to tell you more when the time is right.”
And of course, we’re more than happy to say yes to this dream pairing for fantasy fans. We can already imagine Warhorse’s technical rigor and ultra-realistic swordplay transplanted into a world of Orcs and Gondorian fortresses. Even a Middle-earth skin slapped onto the studio’s survival and medieval-combat mechanics would be enough to put the competition to shame.
On the studio side, this project also marks a major leadership transition for the company. The previous Kingdom Come installments were steered by co-founder Daniel Vávra, a figurehead and driving force behind the house. He has chosen, however, to step back from pure game development to focus full-time on directing the cinematic adaptation of Kingdom Come Deliverance.
For now, this enigmatic, Lord of the Rings-branded RPG has no official release date. In the meantime, fans can still turn to the superb Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, currently available on Xbox Series, PS5, and PC.
