EA, in partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises announced it will be developing The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. This marks the first time EA will produce a LOTR game in over 13 years.
It is a free-to-play mobile game in active development by Capital Games, the studio that brought us EA’s Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes. Based on this, you can expect Heroes of Middle-earth to feature similar gameplay elements. For those who are not clued up, Galaxy of Heroes is a turn-based RPG where players can collect and battle Star Wars characters from the canonical universe. Evidently popular, it currently has a four out of five-star rating on Google Play Store.
According to the press release the upcoming game will “feature immersive storytelling, turn-based combat, deep collection systems, and a wide roster of characters from across the vast universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Players battle through iconic stories from the world of Tolkien and take up the fight against the great evils of Middle-earth.”
This will be the ninth LOTR outing by EA. The early 2000’s brought us a plethora of LOTR video games based on Peter Jackson’s films. A fan favourite being The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth 2, which was a real-time strategy game that received critical acclaim back in 2006. Those not interested in a mobile game, but care for a similar and arguably better experience can look to the The Lord of the Rings Online, an MMORPG that is still active and currently celebrating its 15-year anniversary.
Both EA and Middle-earth Enterprises seem to be quite smitten with each other both releasing public statements via the press release:
“We are incredibly excited to partner with The Saul Zaentz Company and Middle-earth Enterprises on the next generation of mobile role-playing games,” said Malachi Boyle, Vice President of Mobile RPG for Electronic Arts.
“We are thrilled to be working with EA once again, this time to bring a mobile game solely inspired by Middle-earth as described in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien to its fans,” said Fredrica Drotos, Chief Brand & Licensing Officer for SZC’s Middle-earth Enterprises.
“It’s an honor to work with the talented Capital Games team whose knowledge and love of the lore is palpable throughout.”
Now with EA finally back at the helm, this could merely be a taste of what’s to come. Battle for Middle-earth 3 perhaps? Or maybe even a new LoTR online? For now, only time will tell.
The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is expected to enter limited regional beta testing this summer.
