According to a new report, esteemed developer Crystal Dynamics is working on a new The Lord of the Rings game, which would be its third game now in development, joining Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis (2026) and Tomb Raider: Catalyst (2027).
Insider Gaming reported that the Embracer-owned studio is making the new game, with financial backing from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. It’s been reported that this game is aiming to “compete with Hogwarts Legacy,” but there is no word on what that means.
Crystal Dynamics is working on this game alongside the developer Revenge, the report said.
It’s also been reported that the Embracer-owned Kingdom Come studio Warhorse is making a new The Lord of the Rings game, which would be in addition to this other title.
A spokesperson for Embracer declined to comment when approached by Insider Gaming. GameSpot has contacted the company as well.
Embracer owns the gaming rights to The Lord of the Rings, and the company said in 2024 that it was prototyping multiple new ideas for The Lord of the Rings games. Before that, Embracer’s Lord of the Rings boss, Lee Guinchard, spoke about how he wants there to be a renaissance for Lord of the Rings games.
The Lord of the Rings is an enduringly popular franchise, and there are also multiple new movies in the works, including one directed by and starring Andy Serkis and another being co-written by Stephen Colbert.
There have been many iconic Lord of the Rings games over the years. In particular, some of the early movie tie-ins were well-received, while the more recent Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War were enjoyable as well. On the less-serious side, there are also Lego Lord of the Rings and Lego The Hobbit titles that are fondly remembered. Check out the gallery below to see some of the best Lord of the Rings games ever.
One not-so-fondly-remembered Lord of the Rings game was The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, which came out in 2023 to very low review scores. Following the game’s release, developer Daedalic canceled the next Lord of the Rings game it had in the works and announced it would no longer make any games at all.