Lord Of The Rings Gaming Fans Just Got Terrible News
The Lord of the Rings gaming fans received disappointing news when German studio Daedalic Entertainment announced on Jan. 26 that its game, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, has been delayed until 2022, as opposed to its original plan for a 2021 release.
A press release was issued by Nacon — the game publisher who has teamed up with Daedalic — which detailed the partnership between the two companies and stated their intentions to "ensure that the game will meet the expectations of fans of The Lord of the Rings and fully leverage the power of the new generation of consoles." There were no details in the press release as to why the game has been delayed, nor a precise new release date other than sometime in 2022. The release did state that Lord of the Rings: Gollum will be available for PC, Xbox and Playstation consoles, and Nintendo Switch.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is described as "a story-driven action adventure," where the player takes on the role of the pitiful title character as he struggles with his inner demons and is hellbent on recovering his lost "precious." The game will focus on sneaking mechanics as well as climbing, jumping, and silently taking out enemies along the way.
The Lord of the Rings franchise has seen a number of video games over the years, both related and unrelated to the well-known films. One of the most notable is the Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor game, which received very positive reviews, as well as its sequel Middle-earth: Shadow of War. The franchise also received a well-reviewed Lego video game adaptation in 2012, proving that gamers of all ages appreciate a good Lord of the Rings title.
While previous The Lord of the Rings games featured heavy fighting and battle gameplay, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will stray from these mechanics and be focused on story, player choices, and an overall reliance on stealth and cunning. Daedalic and Nacon have teamed up with Middle-earth Enterprises, which owns the rights to many elements of J.R.R. Tolkien's written works, so it is safe to assume that the game will portray a Gollum much closer to the one seen in the books, rather than the films.
If the successes of previous games based on The Lord of the Rings are anything to go by, then The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will likely be another hit with fans, even if it takes a while for it to come out.