What’s Going on with Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Game? The “Cancelled” MMO, Explained

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In 2023, Amazon revealed plans to create a new online role-playing game (MMO) based on The Lord of the Rings, working with Embracer Group. This was notable because The Lord of the Rings Online is still popular after many years. Many fans were hopeful for a fresh, updated MMORPG experience in Tolkien’s world. However, it seems the project isn’t progressing as initially planned. Cancellation rumors have surfaced repeatedly, causing a lot of uncertainty. What’s the current status of the game?

More reports are surfacing this week claiming the game has been cancelled, but Amazon Games still hasn’t made an official announcement. Rumors about the cancellation of the Lord of the Rings MMO first began in October 2025 after layoffs at Amazon Games. One of the laid-off engineers stated the project was no longer being developed, but Amazon Games never confirmed the cancellation. We may now be learning why they haven’t made a statement.

Amazon Moving Forward With Lord of the Rings “Game Experience”

On May 14th, Eurogamer reported on the status of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMO. The article suggests the game’s cancellation is almost certain, but clarified that Jeff Grattis, Amazon’s head of games, didn’t explicitly announce a cancellation. It appears the project has changed course significantly, and may still be developed in some form.

Back in October, reports suggested the Lord of the Rings MMO was likely cancelled after Amazon Games underwent significant layoffs. Evidence supporting this included posts from former employees on LinkedIn and a noticeable absence of updates about the game. While it’s no longer featured on the Amazon Games website, the initial announcement remains online. Despite this, Amazon Games still hasn’t officially confirmed the game’s cancellation, even in recent comments to EuroGamer.

There’s a good explanation for what’s happening. While the game probably won’t be a massive multiplayer online game like initially intended, Grattis confirmed that Amazon Games is still developing a Lord of the Rings video game. It appears the project isn’t canceled, but is instead being completely redesigned.

Amazon Games “Continues to Explore” Lord of the Rings Video Game

Jeff Grattis hasn’t said Amazon’s Middle-earth MMO is cancelled, but he hasn’t confirmed it’s still happening either. He stated the team is still developing a new game set in Tolkien’s world and is working closely with the rights holders, expressing continued enthusiasm for the franchise. This wording suggests the MMO could return, but doesn’t guarantee it.

Amazon Games is still interested in making a game based on The Lord of the Rings. While their initial plan was a large-scale online game, they haven’t officially cancelled it and are exploring other possibilities. Recent rumors about new Lord of the Rings games might be related to this ongoing development.

There’s a rumor going around that Warhorse Studios, the team behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance, is developing a new role-playing game based on The Lord of the Rings. While this hasn’t been officially confirmed, Warhorse has announced their next game will be a large, immersive RPG. Because Warhorse is part of the Embracer Group, they potentially have the rights to create a Lord of the Rings game, but it’s still just speculation. The same is true for a rumored project from Crystal Dynamics. Considering their connection to Amazon Games through the Tomb Raider franchise, it’s possible their game is the one recently mentioned by industry insider Grattis.

Currently, Amazon is still developing a game based on The Lord of the Rings, but it won’t be the large-scale online game they announced in 2023. We expect to hear details about at least one Lord of the Rings game this year, potentially from Crystal Dynamics, Amazon Games, or Warhorse Studios.

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2026-05-15 18:10