According to a recent but since-deleted LinkedIn post by former Senior Gameplay Engineer at Amazon Games Ashleigh Amrine, the MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings has been cancelled while it was still in development. “This morning I was part of the layoffs at Amazon Games, alongside my incredibly talented peers on New World and our fledgling Lord of the Rings game (y’all would have loved it),” wrote Amrine. While Amazon has yet to confirm these claims, it wouldn’t be a surprise following New World content updates coming to and end and mass layoffs at the company. The MMORPG was first announced back in May 2023 and was being developed by Amazon Games Orange County.
Embracer Freemode CEO Lee Guinchard previously commented on the game:
“The world of Middle-earth continues to prove an endlessly fertile ground for creators, and Amazon Games has a passion for building immersive, compelling worlds and publishing games for a global audience.
We have the clear ambition to create the highest-quality entertainment products for this IP, whether we utilize internal resources or team up with the best industry partners that complement our capabilities. We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world.”
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