Following the failure of Amazon’s Crucible and ahead of the launch of New World, it is confirmed that the company’s Lord of the Rings MMO has officially been canceled. The online fantasy take was first announced back in 2019, and news about the latest Lord of the Rings take was mum. Now, it’s off the table completely.
The news regarding Amazon Game Studios’ Lord of the Rings game comes via Bloomberg. In the report, it was noted that the cancelation is due to recent contract negotiations following Tencent’s acquisition of Leyou Technologies Holdings Ltd. Amazon Game Studios was working in conjunction with Leyou, a company based in China, and the decision to drop LotR came on the heels of a dispute between Tencent and Amazon, sources told Bloomberg.
Following the reports of the dispute-driven cancelation, an Amazon spokesperson told the site, “We’ve been unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time.” Luckily, it seems that this cancelation will not result in layoffs at this time. The same spokesperson confirmed that the developers attached to the fantasy game have all been moved to various projects.
Earlier reports last year broke down Amazon Game Studios’ troubles, including a lack of clear direction, correct role allocation, and an overly generalized approach to game creation. This much is evident with the swift cancelation of Crucible and the numerous delays New World is facing.
Amazon Game Studios is in a crucial part of its brand development period within the games industry. Eventually, the studio will need a win to secure a firm foothold within the video game market as an independent publisher.
What are your thoughts on the news that the Lord of the Rings MMO is canceled? Surprised, disappointed? Sound off in the comment section below.