New $100 million Lord of the Rings game reportedly in development by Crystal Dynamics

• • New RPG: Reports suggest a new Lord of the Rings project is in the works with a budget of around $100 million.
• • Developer Mix-up: Early leaks pointed to Warhorse Studios, but newer info suggests Crystal Dynamics might be the ones building it.
• • Tech Details: Job posts show the team is using Unreal Engine instead of the older tech used for Kingdom Come.

A reputable source has shared information that a new, big-budget Lord of the Rings game is currently in development. At first, many thought that Warhorse Studios—the developers behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance—were responsible, but more recent reports suggest that Crystal Dynamics is in fact, probably the main developer on the project. The aim here is to deliver a high-end experience that can sit alongside other major successes such as Hogwarts Legacy. Which it is a significant step for the Lord of the Rings franchise, who has not seen a single-player game of this magnitude for some time.

For a while, fans have been interested in seeing a game title where they could freely move around Tolkien's world. The new game is expected to be a third-person action adventure, presenting players with a lot of locations to go to. Various hints came from job postings that specifically mentioned Unreal Engine. Given Warhorse usually prefers to use its own technology, it points to a different studio being at the helm. Despite the fact that the involved studios are not making statements, the $100 million budget indicates how serious the owners are about creating a top-quality release. It does appear as though they are trying to recreate the magic that made the original movies so popular with gamers, and hopefully will not disappoint.

Project Detail	Status / Leak Info	Source Rating
Estimated Budget	$100 Million	Plausible
Game Engine	Unreal Engine	Likely
Primary Developer	Crystal Dynamics (Rumored)	Developing
Game Style	Third-Person Action RPG	High Interest

We are still quite a ways off from actually seeing a trailer, or for that matter getting a release date. Developing a project of this scale obviously takes years, so it is probably going to be a while before it actually hits consoles and PCs. That said, the fact that multiple sources are now talking about it is probably a good sign at least. For now though, gamers can only really imagine which parts of the map are going to be included, and of course which characters might just show up.

If the gameplay lives up to the rumors however, this could finally be the big Tolkien game everyone has been asking for and waiting on. It is rumored that a new Lord of the Rings action game is currently in development.