Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is nearing its first season finale on Friday, October 14. The show has received criticisms since it started, such as not adhering closely enough to J.R.R. Tolkien’s source material or general pacing issues. Despite these concerns, the show is remarkably popular as another entry in The Lord of the Rings IP. If The Lord of the Rings: Gollum had released when Daedalic and Nacon previously intended it to, it could have been propelled by The Rings of Power’s hype.
The Rings of Power makes allusions to iconography that every Tolkien fan will be familiar with, such as tributes to Khazad-dum, the Southlands, and other regions in Middle-earth. Gollum takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, hence Smeagol’s figure already being gaunt and sickly. Gollum was supposed to release on September 1, but has been indefinitely delayed. It will be interesting to see how the iconography in Gollum reflects that of The Rings of Power, but they unfortunately do not have one another to rally around.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Introduces a Backstory for Mordor
The Rings of Power has a wide cast of characters, some new to fans like Arondir and Bronwyn, while others familiar are familiar like Galadriel and Elrond. One of its largest plot points thus far has been its establishment of the Southlands, where the Adar and his family of orcs have nested. Fans did not need Elf eyes to see where this plot was headed, but only The Rings of Power’s penultimate episode reveals that the Southlands is to become what fans know as Mordor.
In terms of how far from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings the show is, there is a lot that takes place in Middle-earth after Mordor’s terraforming creates a land for orcs to flourish. This means the effects of The Rings of Power may not have any impact directly on iconography in Gollum, but the show nonetheless provides fans important context for how it became the way fans know today.
At least part of Gollum will take place in Mordor, and its own lore could help fans extrapolate on what takes place between the two major franchise entries. If not, Gollum may expand upon lore from The Hobbit, as it will likely behave as a direct prequel or sequel.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Could Have Hopped on The Rings of Power’s Bandwagon
Even if The Rings of Power and Gollum are connected by their IP, it is still disappointing that they won't be releasing in the same window. Once The Rings of Power’s first season ends, fans may not have much to discuss until the next season rears its head.
However, Gollum was delayed with the understanding that it would release a few months after. If that is still the plan, this potentially lands its release window in December, but no further details have been shared to clarify if that is the case.
Gollum already has the iconography of its eponymous Stoor hobbit, Gandalf, and Thranduil among other characters, and may not need to be bolstered by The Rings of Power. It is just unfortunate that one could not benefit from the other’s release, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will now have a lone launch. Hopefully that comes sometime before the end of the year.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
