Back in 2019, Amazon announced it would be working on a Under the spell of the Ring MMO next to Leyou Technologies, a studio owned by Tencent. Well, after nearly two years since its announcement with virtually no information about the project coming into being, Amazon has now canceled the project altogether.
Amazon Game Studios has now officially dropped it, according to a new report from Bloomberg Lord of the Rings game. The title was originally planned to be released on both PC and consoles and it would also be free to play. However, problems behind the scenes kept the game from continuing to the point where it has now reached its demise. Amazon confirmed in a subsequent statement that the title is no longer in the works at this time. “We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we will not be bringing this game to customers, “it read.
It seems the reason for the cancellation has to do with Tencent’s involvement in the project. The Chinese mega conglomerate acquired Leyou Technologies for $ 1.5 billion at the end of 2020, meaning the company became tied to it. Under the spell of the Ring game. However, this led to contract negotiations between both Amazon and Tencent, where things started to fall apart. For some reason, a dispute arose between both sides that resulted in the game being discontinued altogether.
As for those who worked on this Under the spell of the Ring project at Amazon, they are said to be moving on to other games in development at the company. Amazon’s most notable project currently in the pipeline just happens to be that of another MMO named New worldThe game is one that has been in the works for quite some time and is finally set to release later in 2021.
When it comes to Under the spell of the Ring In terms of gaming, there are other upcoming titles in the world of Middle-earth to look forward to. Perhaps the most striking is The Lord of the Rings: Gollum that’s a story-driven experience that follows the titular character. It will be released indefinitely in 2022.
So what do you think about this whole situation? Did you feel like this? Lord of the Rings MMO? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter at @MooreMeer