- Electronic Arts (EA) is working on a mobile game called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.
- EA previously worked with The Lord of the Rings license on games such as Return of the King and Battle for Middle-earth.
- Other publishers have worked on Middle-earth games such as WB Games with Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its follow-up, Shadow of War.
Publisher Electronic Arts (EA) is returning to the world of Middle-earth after a hiatus of several years.
On Monday, EA announced that it had renewed a partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises to work on The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth. This mobile game is being developed by EA Capital Games, one of several studios under the EA Mobile division.
Little is known about the game right now except that it is apparently a turn-based free-to-play collectible RPG," per IGN. The game will feature collectible characters from across The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The game does not currently have a release window.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with The Saul Zaentz Company and Middle-earth Enterprises on the next generation of mobile role-playing games,” said Malachi Boyle, vice president of mobile RPG for Electronic Arts. “The team is filled with fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and each day they bring their tremendous passion and talents together to deliver an authentic experience for players. The combination of high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art immerses players in the fantasy of Middle-earth where they’ll go head-to-head with their favorite characters.”
EA previously worked on games set in the Middle-earth universe, with notable titles such as The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King hack-and-slash adventure, as well as The Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle-earth RTS titles.
EA is investing heavily in mobile gaming, having worked on a mobile version of free-to-play battle royale Apex Legends that's slated to launch later in May 2022. EA made huge strides in its mobile gaming ambitions with the purchase of Playdemic Games for $1.4 billion in June 2021.
