Cute and cozy Lord of the Rings life sim Tales of the Shire delayed to early 2025

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Tales of the Shire's original release window was Fall 2024

Tales of the Shire
(Image credit: Private Division)

Tales of the Shire, the upcoming life sim based in The Lord of the Rings universe, has been delayed to early 2025. It was originally scheduled to release this Fall.

No concrete reason was provided for the delay, but developer Wētā Workshop suggested the game simply needs more time in the oven.

"All of us here at Wētā Workshop are excited to have you join us in the Shire, a peaceful corner of J.R.R. Tolkien's world. When a new hobbit steps into Bywater for the first time, we want that moment to be everything you're hoping for." The delay will give Wētā Workshop more time to "ensure we deliver that vision".

I'm pretty bummed out about this one. I was on-board with a life sim, Stardew Valley-type farming game set in the Shire as soon as it was revealed back in April, and everything I've seen and heard since then has reinforced my anticipation for this game. My colleague Dustin's glowing hands-on preview sealed the deal.

"This isn't just a Stardew Valley reskin with a licensed gimmick, it's a game that smartly builds on both the cozy genre and the Middle-earth setting to create something uniquely compelling," Dustin wrote.

It doesn't sound like it reinvents the genre, but just the act of planting and watering a garden, befriending locals, fishing, cooking, and decorating a li'l Hobbit hole in the Shire - a place every millennial dreams of living in - just looks so damn appealing. Sadly we'll have to wait a few more months to virtually live that dream.

In the meantime, here are some games like Stardew Valley to chill out with.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.