Amazon has reportedly cancelled its second attempt at developing a Lord of the Rings MMO, following a new round of layoffs at Amazon Games. The news came from former senior gameplay engineer Ashleigh Amrine, who revealed on LinkedIn that she and others working on the project had been let go (via Rock Paper Shotgun). This comes shortly after Amazon also announced it would stop developing New World, its colonial fantasy MMO, though servers will remain active until 2026.
"It's always tough to see such a strong team go through something like this," Amrine wrote in her post yesterday. "I've been lucky to work with some of the most skilled, creative, and kind developers I've ever met here."
This new Lord of the Rings MMO was first announced in 2023, after Amazon partnered with Embracer Group, the current owner of Middle-earth's rights. It was described as a "persistent open-world adventure" that would span events from The Hobbit through The Lord of the Rings. However, details about the game were scarce, and now it seems the project has ended before reaching the public. This follows Amazon’s first attempt in 2019, which collapsed in 2021 after a contractual dispute when its partner, Leyou, was bought by Tencent.
Last August, Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann said part of the challenge had been finding the right "hook," something that would make a Lord of the Rings MMO stand out. He said the team didn't want to simply repeat what's already been done, noting that the long-running The Lord of the Rings Online (which launched in 2007 and still receives updates) already fills that space. Hartmann added that MMOs are "tough" to make because they’re expensive and require consistent new content to keep players satisfied--a big risk even for a company like Amazon.
At the time, Hartmann also mentioned that Amazon Games is shifting away from being an MMO-only publisher, focusing more on other genres like action RPGs--such as the recently launched King of Meat. Meanwhile, The Rings of Power TV series continues separately, with its second season exploring Sauron's rise--a reminder that Amazon's Middle-earth ambitions remain alive, just not in MMO form.
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"It's always tough to see such a strong team go through something like this," Amrine wrote in her post yesterday. "I've been lucky to work with some of the most skilled, creative, and kind developers I've ever met here."
This new Lord of the Rings MMO was first announced in 2023, after Amazon partnered with Embracer Group, the current owner of Middle-earth's rights. It was described as a "persistent open-world adventure" that would span events from The Hobbit through The Lord of the Rings. However, details about the game were scarce, and now it seems the project has ended before reaching the public. This follows Amazon’s first attempt in 2019, which collapsed in 2021 after a contractual dispute when its partner, Leyou, was bought by Tencent.
Last August, Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann said part of the challenge had been finding the right "hook," something that would make a Lord of the Rings MMO stand out. He said the team didn't want to simply repeat what's already been done, noting that the long-running The Lord of the Rings Online (which launched in 2007 and still receives updates) already fills that space. Hartmann added that MMOs are "tough" to make because they’re expensive and require consistent new content to keep players satisfied--a big risk even for a company like Amazon.
At the time, Hartmann also mentioned that Amazon Games is shifting away from being an MMO-only publisher, focusing more on other genres like action RPGs--such as the recently launched King of Meat. Meanwhile, The Rings of Power TV series continues separately, with its second season exploring Sauron's rise--a reminder that Amazon's Middle-earth ambitions remain alive, just not in MMO form.
Source