The recent announcement of an open-world RPG set in The Lord of the Rings by Warhorse Studios has raised doubts among fans. Wasn't Amazon Games developing a massive MMO based on the same franchise? The answer lies in the exploitation rights. Embracer Group bought Middle-earth Enterprises in 2022, but owning the license does not imply exclusivity. Two studios can work on Middle-earth without stepping on each other's toes.
CryEngine and Open World: Warhorse's Technical Challenge 🛠️
Warhorse Studios plans to use its CryEngine, the same engine from Kingdom Come Deliverance, to build a detailed Middle-earth without loading screens. The challenge is to scale the technology to represent vast territories like Rivendell or Mordor without sacrificing performance. Amazon Games, for its part, is betting on a persistent MMO with its Lumberyard engine. Both projects compete for hardware resources but aim for different experiences: one for single-player narrative and the other for massive cooperation.
Two Rings to Rule Them All... But with Separate DLCs 💍
The situation is reminiscent of a programmer joke: if two teams can do the same thing, they will end up doing two different things that fans will buy twice. Warhorse promises an immersive RPG with a linear story, while Amazon prepares its MMO with skins and daily quests. The curious thing is that both will pay royalties to Embracer, which is rubbing its hands together. In the end, the real winner is not Sauron, but the one who collects the licensing fees.