Although there has been no official announcement, a future sequel to Free Range Games’ title has already surfaced on LinkedIn.
On LinkedIn, senior producer Jessica Klyne—who was laid off last week, like many developers these days—has effectively confirmed that The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will receive a sequel. Here’s the key passage from her post:
“As Executive Producer and Studio Executive at Free Range Games, I lead large-scale creative and technical initiatives that drive the development of AAA titles across global teams. My work includes overseeing the post-production lifecycle of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria franchise (and its sequel), as well as a new, unannounced IP with a $100 million budget and a distributed team of 130 people. I work closely with the executive leadership team to define production strategy, improve operational efficiency, and align project milestones with studio growth objectives. Beyond production oversight, I play a key role in building a culture of trust and accountability, mentoring producers, and advancing sustainable remote collaboration models that enhance delivery consistency and team cohesion.”
It appears the Sausalito, California–based independent studio is handling two large projects: a follow-up to the 2023 survival-crafting game The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, which seemingly performed well enough to merit a sequel, and a bigger, unannounced title with a nine-figure budget. Meanwhile, Free Range Games is set to release the Durin’s Folk DLC for The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, along with new features such as recruitable NPCs with special abilities.
The DLC adds a new area called Durin’s Tower, trading camps near the Gates of Moria, and a recruitment camp in Dimmerdale. New gameplay elements include recruiting dwarves with special abilities, and in Durin’s Folk players can oversee mines (delvings) with buildable structures. The DLC is slated to launch on November 18 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC.
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