As one of the most beloved worlds ever created in any form of fiction, it's only natural that the world of Middle-Earth has been explored many times in video games. Movie adaptations, a MOBA title, and a slew of action RPGs are all different games that have given fans a digital version of Tolkien's Middle-Earth. The most recent outings, Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, were expansive visions of Mordor itself, and the upcoming Lord of the Rings: Gollum will allow players to explore the world of Middle-Earth from a rarely-seen perspective. Gollum has fans excited about its potential, but even more so for the prospect of more Middle-Earth games.
Games like the movie tie-ins and the upcoming Lord of the Rings: Gollum can be great ways for fans to experience the core story of the franchise in unique ways. Even the fairly straightforward Two Towers adaptation on the PS2 was enjoyed by many fans as a fun way for two players to experience the greatest battles in the movie. However, so much of what makes Tolkien's world so enticing for creators is the absolutely monolithic scale of its lore. The Silmarillion alone covers eons of Middle-Earth's lore in such a descriptive and expansive way that it can often feel like reading some kind of enormous religious text. Shadow of Mordor was a testament to the desire fans have to experience different time periods within Middle-Earth's history, and it's only really scratched the surface.
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When and Where a New Middle-Earth Game Could Go
Shadow of Mordor was an interesting first for the franchise. Creating a brand new character in Talion and then tying his story so directly into the world's lore was a unique challenge, especially with a property that's so beloved by its fans. The experiment proved successful in many ways, though. Both games in the series were huge and packed with things for players to discover, including bits of lore that were many fans' first experience with the deeper relationships between Sauron, Shelob, and Celebrimbor. That's something that will be essential to any future Middle-Earth game. With so many books for a Middle-Earth game to pull inspiration from, giving more casual fans a slow and steady drip of information about the backstory that's tied to in-game progression the way Shadow of War does is something critical.
Another core lesson to learn from its predecessors is more mechanical, but adds to the storytelling in a big way. There are many eras throughout the history of Middle-Earth to potentially explore, but it's likely that a time period rife with conflict would likely be the first choice. A game set during the first war against Sauron could make great use of Shadow of War's Nemesis System, especially now that it's copyrighted by WB. Using that format could help establish relationships with the enemy factions in a similar way to Shadow of War. Given that a game set during that conflict could theoretically make use a of a custom character, it could help to ground a player-created character in the game's narrative in a big way. The first war against Sauron saw elves, humans, and dwarves join forces in a way they never truly would again, and that would set up interesting possibilities.
It's more likely that a new protagonist like Talion would be created to facilitate the narrative of a new Middle-Earth game, but that's not the only option. Given the nature of the first conflict with Sauron, it could be interesting to see a game feature custom characters. The three main races in Lord of the Rings could all serve as bases for a customizable character with various classes or roles much in the vein of DnD. A mix of more traditional RPG elements from DnD with the action-centric skills from Shadow of War on top of a system for character creation could create a really unique experience in a new Middle-Earth game.
Especially if custom characters are utilized, the biggest thing that veteran fans will want is a tie directly to the expansive lore already present. Luckily the history of Middle-Earth is rife with events to pull from, but it's always a tenuous task with how well-loved the original stories have become. Shadow of War did a good job of this by the end with tying Talion to the Nazgul and the Witch-King in a major way that felt natural and addressed the main issue original prequel content can run into. Placing a new character into an already well-established world creates issues when they become powerful or important in their own right. A good example is how Cal Kestis is likely going to meet a tragic fate at some point to explain his absence throughout the core Star Wars canon.
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The Less Likely Possibilities for Middle-Earth
Tying the events of an original story into the larger Lord of the Rings canon will be the litmus test for a new Middle-Earth game. The history is Lord of the Rings games is somewhat divisive, and this is nearly unavoidable given the fervor many fans have for the franchise. But this also presents a unique opportunity as many fans would chomp at the bit for a chance to truly explore some of the oldest events in the series' history. One interesting but unlikely possibility that's been somewhat teased in Shadow of War would be a chance to experience some of the franchises' villains on their road to becoming truly evil.
Shadow of War let players discover shreds of Shelob's memories that showed the slow turn of Sauron and herself to the side of evil in the realm. Despite his status as one of the most iconic villains in history, not even Sauron was evil at first. Many of his worst deeds were done with cold logic also, and the corrupted lord felt justified in his deeds. The force of evil in Lord of the Rings nearly infected Galadriel, and even Gandalf was afraid to bear the One Ring for fear of the temptation to use its power. However unlikely, a game that uses many of the previous Middle-Earth's mechanics could be put to good use in a game that explores Sauron's descent into darkness. Either way, as one of the most beloved franchises in history, and the success of Shadow of War behind it, many fans are eager to hear news about a new Middle-Earth game.
No new Middle-Earth game is confirmed to be in development, but Lord of the Rings: Gollum is slated to launch in 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.