One of the more promising prospects at the moment is The Lord of the Rings RPG coming from Warhorse Studios. Being the outfit responsible for the Kingdom Come: Deliverance games, there's a strong pedigree here, and a higher-up recently touted the kind of experience we can expect in this venture into Middle-earth.
Warhorse communications director Tobias Stolz-Zwilling speaks about the game in a community livestream. "We have a completely mind-blowing team ready to delve into what this universe has to offer. And this is, again, an absolute passion project," he proclaimed.
I bet it is. I imagine the license for Lord of the Rings is towards the top of the dream opportunities list for any studio that specializes in fantasy or historical RPGs, and the fact that it's somewhere with as good a track as Warhorse means we're likely going to get something quite special.
Stolz-Zwilling continues. "It will be a living world," he says. "There will be interesting characters, memorable places, and of course a strong narrative focus." He adds it'll be "deeply immersive," as well.
Words that could be gifts from the elves of Rivendell, and I would expect nothing else. Details are currently sparse on the overall shape of Warhorse's The Lord of the Rings game otherwise. We don't know who it'll focus on, or perhaps more importantly, when: it could be the Third Age, during the war against Sauron, or it could be a prequel of sorts.
Or the vision might be something else entirely. Regardless, I trust the devs here. And if you're worried about what all of this means for Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Stolz-Zwilling provides some reassurance. "If everything goes right, it comes next fiscal year," he said. "Which means you don't have to wait seven years for another Kingdom Come."
