A Lord of the Rings open-world RPG is being developed by the BAFTA Award-winning studio behind Kingdom Come Deliverance II, Warhorse Studios. Read on for more details.
Lord of the Rings Open World Video Game In Development
A Kingdom Come-Style Adventure
A Lord of the Rings (LoTR) open-world game is in the works at Warhorse Studios, the BAFTA Award-winning developers of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (KCD2). The studio announced the news on May 20 across their official social media channels.
Warhorse Studios has yet to share any specifics on their LoTR game, other than that it will be an "open-world Middle-earth RPG." The similarity in genre to KCD suggests that the beloved Tolkien fantasy could be presented in the classic KCD simulation style of gameplay.
According to the post, the studio is currently working on two projects. Alongside an LoTR RPG, "a new Kingdom Come adventure" is underway. It is unclear whether the studio has begun development on KCD3 or additional content for KCD2. There have been no prior official announcements regarding the development of KCD3.
Given that the KCD series is rooted in a more grounded and realistic setting, fans are interested to see how Warhorse Studios approaches the magical world of Middle-earth. Story-wise, the medieval RPG franchise always started players as a lowly peasant or nobody, so fans who expect to play as LoTR heroes like Aragorn, Gandalf, or Legolas may want to adjust their expectations accordingly.
In terms of narrative, the upcoming KCD game may delve outside the canon events of the iconic trilogy, given that the devs explicitly stated it as a "Middle-earth RPG," not a LoTR title. Fans online are currently pumping out predictions about which tale the project may focus on, including The Second Age, The Third Age, the Angmar War, and other stories.
LoTR Cancels One MMO, Starts Development on Two RPGs
For years, the Tolkien fandom has been eagerly anticipating the MMORPG that Amazon first announced back in 2023. Unfortunately, this was confirmed to be cancelled as of last week, leaving fans of the LoTR universe disappointed.
However, before this unforeseen update, there were rumblings online about a new Middle-earth title that was speculated to be developed by Warhorse Studios. These speculations originally stemmed from a 2025 report by Insider Gaming that a UAE-funded LoTR game in the vein of Hogwarts Legacy was in the works at an unnamed studio.
The rumors were substantiated in a March 2026 podcast by former The Witcher project lead, Ryszard Chojnowski, who stated that the studio in question was Warhorse Studios. Insider Gaming later clarified that their 2025 exclusive was about Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider), not Warhorse Studios, implying that there are currently two separate LoTR games in development.
During an April 30 Reddit AMA, just weeks ahead of their official announcement, Warhorse Games directly addressed the rumors: "We are hard at work on ... something. I cannot disclose details but I can tell it is a huge, immersive RPG."
A LoTR Renaissance Under Middle-Earth Enterprises
This news comes amid Lee Guinchard’s push for a "renaissance of Tolkien games," as he shared in a 2024 interview with GamesBeat. Guinchard is the COO of Embracer Group, which owns the film, video game, merchandising, theme park, and stage production rights for LoTR and all future Middle-earth-related works as of 2022.
The Swedish holding group has big plans to develop the LoTR franchise into a multi-platform fan experience with an even wider reach, according to Guinchard. Embracer also owns Warhorse Studios and Crystal Dynamics via their respective parent companies, Plaion and Eidos Interactive.
Peter Jackson, the original director, writer, and producer of the iconic films, announced his return to LoTR for a new film trilogy in 2023, shortly after Embracer’s acquisition. Guinchard reportedly "wants to get projects off the ground" and has met with teams and studios that have previously worked on beloved LoTR-related media.
Guinchard told GamesBeat in 2024 that "more games are coming" for LoTR but he did not provide further details. As of May 2026, there are two LoTR games in development by studios under Embracer.
In 2024, Embracer announced its plan to split into three separate companies: Asmodee, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-Earth Enterprises & Friends. The latter will handle all LoTR-related ventures, as well as future projects for other Embracer-owned IPs, such as Tomb Raider, Kingdom Come, Metro, and many others.
All aforementioned series have video games in active development. Crystal Dynamics is set to release Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst in 2026 and 2027, respectively. "A new Kingdom Come adventure" is imminent, per Warhorse Studios’ recent announcement, and Metro 2039 has been confirmed for a Winter 2026 launch by developer 4A Games.
Sources:
Warhorse Studios Official X formerly Twitter Account
Warhorse Studios Reddit AMA
Lee Guinchard 2024 Interview
Embracer Acquisition Announcement
Veteran Studio Working On New Lord of the Rings Game
Podcast with Ryszard RYSŁAW
Chojnowski
