As the release of “Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game” approaches in a matter of hours, a recent report from The Verge sheds light on some of the challenges and hurdles faced by developer Weta Workshop during the game’s development. The studio reportedly grappled with issues such as inexperience, weak leadership, and communication breakdowns among various studios while working to bring their vision for “Tales of the Shire” to life.
For Weta Workshop, transitioning from working on augmented reality projects, specifically for Magic Leap, into creating commercial action-adventure (AA) games proved challenging. This inexperience led to difficulties such as an absence of a cohesive narrative thread for the game’s core mechanics, resulting in a collection of scattered quests and mini-games rather than a well-structured title.
In a similar vein, the upper management faced their own setbacks, viewing game development as equivalent to movie production. Consequently, they neglected to allocate sufficient funds and resources towards nurturing top-tier talent, resulting in an insufficient workforce within the programming and design divisions.
In game development, milestones play a crucial role as they help shape the project and provide publishers with insight into the studio’s advancements. Unfortunately, Weta Workshop found themselves pursuing these milestones rather than focusing on the main game creation. This persistent chase resulted in several features and concepts being discarded. One such feature that was unfortunately eliminated was a mechanism where a Hobbit’s waistcoat would pop open after a feast, with the buttons from these waistcoats serving as a currency for players to discover and trade for additional items.
A worker reflecting on his time with the project shared that it often felt like we were perpetually pursuing one deadline after another, and the deadlines set seemed almost unattainable.
The emphasis on achieving milestones over all else resulted in issues with the game’s coding, which was referred to by an employee as “a mess” or “disorganized.” Additionally, the need for refactoring the code was hampered due to a shortage of time. Leadership opted to defer the refactoring work to a later stage rather than bringing in experienced programmers to handle it immediately.
2023 marked a significant change for me at Weta Workshop with Amie Wolken’s departure as studio director. The arrival of Tony Lawrence, previously the head of 2K Australia, brought about an immediate shift in our studio environment, as one colleague put it. It felt like a sudden hush fell over us, something palpable that set the stage for morale to gradually deteriorate from thereon.
Due to the fact that “Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game” was being released under 2K’s independent publishing label, Private Division, the issues that arose within the company affected Weta Workshop as well. The report paints a picture of an environment filled with tension and low spirits following the challenges faced by Private Division.
As a gamer speaking about my personal experience with the development of Tales of the Shire, I’ve come to learn that there were some troublesome periods, often referred to as “crunch” time. This meant that the developers had to put in long hours beyond their regular working schedule. One seasoned developer described it as a systemic issue, stemming from a lack of resources and overall mismanagement of the project.
Certain team members working on the project have mentioned that higher management urged the developers to work excessive hours to meet deadlines. Additionally, one worker expressed feeling somewhat manipulated when leadership suggested that failing to meet these deadlines could potentially threaten Weta Workshop’s long-term viability as a game development company.
At the studio, workers appreciate the system that allows them to save additional hours they’ve worked. One employee expressed, “I don’t view our studio as a crunch studio.” Yet, another pointed out potential issues arising from inadequate tracking of the time staff members take off when they use their saved hours.
According to Jessica Wallace, the studio’s chief marketing officer, there was no pressure or rush during the creation of “Tales of the Shire“. Instead, they chose to prioritize the health and well-being of their team by extending deadlines. All staff members were working under New Zealand employment contracts, which guarantee fair wages for every hour worked.
The spirit at the studio would take another blow due to a series of layoffs in October 2024, as developers were informed that the move was aimed at securing the studio’s long-term viability. Employees likened the situation to scenes from The Hunger Games, with one person describing returning to work after the layoffs as feeling like attending a funeral.
The report mentions that progress on a Downloadable Content (DLC) for “Tales of the Shire” came to a halt as far back as February, and there’s no guarantee that the game will receive updates post-launch. The head of product at Weta Workshop stated that the publisher would provide the studio with some payment for work completed on DLC so far, but all decisions regarding additional content after the launch have been put on hold until the market performance of the game is evaluated first.
As a devoted admirer, I find myself pondering about Weta Workshop’s game development division and its uncertain future. Recent reports hint that the studio might be transitioning into a “work-for-hire creative services business,” as suggested by certain documents. In simpler terms, this transformation could mean that Weta Workshop would primarily serve as a support studio for other prominent game companies.
As a past employee, I can honestly say that working for Weta Workshop was an outstanding career milestone for me. However, the recent challenges have significantly dulled the sense of pride I once held for this company.
Today sees the arrival of “Stories from the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game” on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
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2025-07-29 16:21