Despite its popularity,The Lord of the Ringshas had a weird relationship with the world of video games in the modern era of the industry. Fans have seen collectible card games andopen-worldpseudo-canon games come out, but it feels as though J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world continues to be an untapped resource in the world of games.
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Thanks to how vast and layered Middle-Earth’s history is, there should be more indie and AAA games in development by proven and talented game developers across the world. There’s never been a greater collection of developers on a global scale than there is now, so it’s safe to say there are dozens of teams capable of nailing aLord of the Ringsexperience if given the chance.
8Red Hook Studios
Sure,The Lord of the Ringswould likely first be put into the hands of major AAA publishers and developers, but that doesn’t mean that indie studios shouldn’t be given an opportunity. Red Hook Studios are the makers ofDarkest Dungeon, a roguelike RPG in which players are tasked with managing resources and a party of varying personalities through dungeons filled with never-ending opposition and nightmares.
In recent years,The Lord of the Ringshas been relegated to open worlds and card games, and so many feel that it could use more genre experimentation with the license. A roguelike game set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world is a challenge that Red Hook Studios would deliver on in a twisted and magical way if given the opportunity.
7Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory has managed to transition from a studio known for sleek and engaging action games to producing an emotionally gripping interpretation of mental health viaHellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. It was a more intimate game with a smaller scope and focused on a singular character’s journey. Many times,The Lord of the Ringsadaptations try and capture the grandiose nature of the movies and books, but that isn’t always the best approach.
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Handing Ninja Theory the license and asking them to deliver something unique that plays to their strengths may result in a game that’s less than ten hours long, but length rarely equates to quality. It could result in an emotional journey of a single character trying to make their way through their own trials and tribulations in the lands of Middle-Earth.
6Acid Nerve
Like Red Hook Studios and many other indie developers, Acid Nerve feels like a team of creatives who could make a truly specialThe Lord of the Ringsexperience.Death’s Dooris the studio’s most recent release, and the isometric action-adventure RPG caught gamers by surprise with its fluid and engaging combat in an artistically beautiful fantasy world.
The world-building and overall world design offer players puzzles and challenges that all come together in an award-winning package. Acid Nerve deserves all of the plaudits and maybe alicensedThe Lord of the Ringsprojectcould showcase to a larger audience just how talented the developers really are.
5Respawn Entertainment
Before the release ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it was assumed that Respawn Entertainment was a first-person shooter studio, and an industry-leading one at that. Sure, a lot of their staff at that time had experience inCall of DutyandTitanfall,but that doesn’t mean they were limited to a certain genre.
The developer’s firstStar Warsgame showcased they could producea licensed game that stayed true to the source materialwhile still delivering something fun and fresh.The Lord of the Ringsmay not offer the same laser swords and spaceships as the beloved galaxy from a long time ago, but Respawn’s approach to combat and character growth feels like it could deliver in any world, whether that be high fantasy or science fiction.
4Obsidian Entertainment
For years, Obsidian Entertainment has been known as a AAA role-playing game studio that built a trusted reputation and delivered what many consider to be one of the bestFalloutgames ever released inFallout: New Vegas.Though their big new IP for Xbox titledAvowedhas yet to release, recent releases likeGrounded, Outer Worlds,andPentimentshowcase the range in variety and creativity when it comes to what the studio is capable of.
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A smaller scope investigative role-playing game, sandbox survival adventure, or mid-sized dialogue-drive RPG all feel like avenuesThe Lord of the Ringsproperty should and could be adapted into in the video game space. Handing the reigns over to Obsidian Entertainment and just letting them roll with it will likely result in something that is both inspiring and intriguing.
3Rockstar Games
By all accounts, Rockstar Games is currently hard at work on the nextGrand Theft Autotitle, but in the meantime, people can speculate about what the future holds for them. The biggest issue facing Rockstar and modern game development, in general, is how long it’s taking some of these AAA games to release.
Waiting five to seven years before major tentpole releases in major gaming series is tough, but it’s pretty reasonable to assume fans ofThe Lord of the Ringswould more than welcome that type of wait if it guaranteed them an open-world RPG from some of the best developers in the world. Rockstar is great at delivering the small details and minutia that go a long way in making their video game worlds feel lived in and existing moment to moment, which could mean fans would see one of the best depictions of the world J.R.R. Tolkien created.
2Sony Santa Monica
Coming off the back ofGod of War: Ragnarokit’s clear as ever that Sony Santa Monica is one of the best game developers in the world. The studio’s ability to take known material like the works of Norse mythology and twist it in a way that shapes itself around the story of Kratos and the people around it couldn’t have been done any better.
This type of attention to detail without being afraid to make bold creative decisions isn’t an easy thing to pull off. Would anyone want this team to directly translate J.R.R. Tolkien’s work? The answer to that is probably not, but that doesn’t mean that Sony Santa Monica couldn’t deliver an original and captivating adventure during a certain time period in the land of Hobbits, Elves, Dwarves, and Man.
1FromSoftware
It’s hard to deny just how special aLord of the Ringsgamedeveloped by FromSoftware could potentially be. In addition to delivering some of the industry’s best action role-playing games of the last decade, the developer has years of experience in the world of fantasy storytelling.
Delivering a narrative in the way that FromSoftware does, through environmental storytelling and item descriptions, could bring a breath of fresh air to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. It’d also be quite interesting to see Middle-Earth displayed in a more cynical and/or darker perspective that provides an alternate perspective to the vibrant and chaotic world that fans have been in love with for decades at this point.
