Lord of the Rings finally meets Stardew Valley in March as Tales of the Shire sets a new release date

Not even two weeks after its vague delay to "early 2025," the Lord of the Rings meets Stardew Valley life sim Tales of the Shire has set a new release date of March 25, 2025.

As part of today's Hobbit Day showcase, publisher Private Division and developer Weta Workshop confirmed that Tales of the Shire will launch on March 25 across PC, Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. It'll also be available as part of Netflix Games. The game had originally been scheduled to launch this fall.

The press release confirming this news comes straight from publisher Private Division, a Take-Two subsidiary that seemed to be in dire straits according to reports earlier this year. Whatever situation the label is in, it seems it's got at least enough life left to support the launch of Tales of the Shire.

Developer Weta Workshop has plenty of pedigree when it comes to Lord of the Rings, since the company was responsible for the practical effects in the Peter Jackson film trilogy alongside a sister company that handled the digital effects. The company spun up a video game development arm in 2014, but Tales of the Shire is the first major game the studio is solely credited on.

If you've missed the details on Tales of the Shire so far, "cozy game where you're a Hobbit" just about sums it up. There's a big emphasis on cooking here, with an extensive set of minigames that let you fix specially seasoned meals to win the hearts of your neighbors. Naturally, there's plenty more to do, ranging from fishing and foraging to gardening and customizing your home.

If you need more new games to keep an eye on, you can follow that link for a big breakdown of all the most notable new and upcoming releases.