Amazon tried it once before, but now it might happen: turning Tolkien’s work into a proper MMO for PC and consoles.

Amazon has reached an agreement with Middle-Earth Enterprises (owned by Embracer Group…) to create a new MMO based on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, to be put together by Amazon Games Orange County, the studio behind New World. The game is still early in its development, with no name, release window, or even target platforms (the terms PC and consoles don’t say much, and this list seems to be missing Amazon’s cloud service, Luna…). The world will also use stories from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books.

Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann said, “We’re committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-beloved ones like The Lord of the Rings. Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team, and we’re honored and grateful that Middle-earth Enterprises is entrusting us with this iconic world. We’re also pleased to expand our relationship with Embracer Group following our Tomb Raider deal last year, as they’ve proven excellent collaborators.”

Embracer Freemode CEO Lee Guinchard added, “The world of Middle-earth continues to prove endlessly fertile ground for creators. Amazon Games is passionate about building immersive, compelling worlds and publishing games for a global audience. We have the clear ambition to create the highest-quality entertainment products for this IP, whether utilizing internal resources or teaming up with the best industry partners that complement our capabilities. We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players worldwide.”

Most recently, Amazon was going to create the MMO with Chinese tech giant Tencent, but Tencent acquired the development team, Leyou. This time, however, it won’t be conflicts: Embracer owns the IP, and Amazon is developing it in-house…

Source: Gematsu