EA Announces New Lord of the Rings Game

Electronic Arts has announced that it has partnered with Middle-earth Enterprises on the development of a new Lord of the Rings video game. The new title is a free-to-play mobile game called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth and is described as a "Collectible Role-Playing Game" that is inspired by both The Lord of Rings and The Hobbit novels.

Beyond the announcement that The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is a mobile game in development by the team at Capital Games, not much is known about what it will actually look or play like at the moment. The free-to-play title is expected to start a limited regional beta test this summer.

"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, as part of the announcement. "The team is filled with fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and each day they bring their tremendous passion and talents together to deliver an authentic experience for players. The combination of high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art immerses players in the fantasy of Middle-earth where they'll go head-to-head with their favorite characters."

"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 and Licensing Officer for SZC's Middle-earth Enterprises, as part of the same announcement. "It's an honor to work with the talented Capital Games team whose knowledge and love of the lore is palpable throughout."

As noted above, The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is a free-to-play mobile game in development by Capital Games through a partnership between Electronic Arts and Middle-earth Enterprises. No definitive release date has been announced as of yet. Based on the announcement, it sounds as if there will be some kind of in-app purchases and loot boxes involved. You can check out all of our previous coverage of EA in general right here.

What do you think about EA announcing a new Lord of the Rings video game? Are you looking forward to giving it a shot for yourself? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop in order to talk about all things gaming!