The workforce engaged on Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMO is “nonetheless looking for the hook” for what the sport might be, in line with feedback Amazon Video games CEO Christoph Hartmann made in a current interview.
Amazon Video games introduced it could make a brand new Lord of the Rings MMO final yr in a take care of the Embracer Group. The announcement adopted a earlier deal between Amazon and Chinese language firm Leyou to make an MMO out of J.R.R Tolkein’s signature work. Leyou was later acquired by Tencent and the venture was canceled, just for the rights to later revert again to Center-Earth Enterprises and in the end discover a dwelling with the Embracer Group.
Whereas the sport was introduced final yr, Hartmann in an new interview with IGN mentioned the sport continues to be in early growth. As such, the workforce continues to be looking for an angle to make the venture stand out from what’s come earlier than.
“We’re nonetheless looking for the hook, discover that concept of what it’s as a result of we do not simply need to go and do the identical factor over,” Hartmann mentioned. “Whereas it is tempting typically with an current IP, that is not the purpose of doing it.”
Hartmann continued by saying the workforce must discover a “contemporary twist” to make it “totally different to all the opposite video games on the market.”
His feedback about making an attempt to face out and never repeating what’s already been finished is smart contemplating there’s at present a long-running Lord of the Rings MMO, 2007’s The Lord of the Rings On-line, in the marketplace that also receives new content material and updates.
Amazon Video games has made a reputation for itself within the MMO area in recent times, having launched New World in 2021 (quickly to be re-released on consoles and PC as New World: Aeternum). It has additionally revealed and localized Korean MMOs like Misplaced Ark and the upcoming Throne and Liberty for Western audiences.
In the identical interview, Hartmann known as creating MMOs “powerful,” as they’re costly each to take care of and to repeatedly develop new content material for in a method that satisfies gamers, calling MMO gamers “a really devoted viewers” that “performs quite a lot of hours.”
Amazon is at present “shifting out of being a MMO-only writer,” Hartmann mentioned, utilizing the lately revealed King of Meat, which falls into the action-RPG style, for example. Hartmann additionally mentioned he believes AI may help speed up and enhance recreation growth, however that the know-how will not “resolve all of it,” even when it would assist to lock growth instances and decrease prices.
This is not the primary time Hartmann has talked concerning the Lord of the Rings MMO. He beforehand mentioned the distinction between Amazon’s new MMO and the at present current LOTRO might be like going from “black and white films to paint,” and that whereas LOTRO “is not a foul recreation,” gamers will finally transfer on.
In the meantime, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy present will quickly debut its second season–one that can dive into Sauron’s previous. The Rings of Energy won’t be related to Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings MMO, the corporate has mentioned.