The upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Gollum could learn a few things from the most recent game to release from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Most importantly, this upcoming indie title should pay attention to how fans reacted to the release of Middle-earth: Shadow of War when deciding on the direction to take the new game and any possible monetization.
With the five-year anniversary of Middle-earth: Shadow of War passing recently, it's interesting to see the way that the highly anticipated sequel has aged in the retaliative short time. Its unfortunate legacy is heavily tied to Shadow of War releasing with a number of predatory microtransactions, which Gollum should be careful to avoid.
The Original Release of Shadow of War
The concept of microtransactions in gaming weren't anything new in 2017 when Shadow of War first released, with many being tied to online games and cosmetics at the time. What made these in-game purchases unique, however, was the fact that the items for purchase had a direct impact on the player character's stats and abilities. While there was an online component at launch, the effects of the loot box system being implemented into player stats had a major effect on both the online and offline sections of the game.
This introduction of predatory loot box systems was then dubbed pay-to-win, thanks to the way that spending a large amount of money could make a player incredibly powerful when playing online or offline. The result of this criticism meant that the other systems within Shadow of War were overlooked by players who had previously been fans of the game that came before. Even Shadow of Mordor's nemesis system wasn't impressive enough to outshine the loot boxes that players would eventually compare to the similarly predatory Star Wars: Battlefront 2.
Without this single aspect of the game bogging it down, Shadow of War did still manage to bring the same combat, stealth, and traversal gameplay that had succeeded in its predecessor. The gameplay and story were every bit as impressive here as they were in the game that came before. There was a lot that could have kept the franchise going forward. Instead, the legacy of this title has been a vacancy of Lord of the Rings games leading up to the Rings of Power series.
What The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Should Learn
The landscape of gaming has transitioned greatly since 2017, with Shadow of War being one of many titles that would eventually sour the concept of microtransactions for gamers. It isn't clear if there is any kind of in-game purchase in Lord of the Rings: Gollum, but the cost of developing a game in 2022 can rack up fast, especially with several delays. If developer Daedalic Entertainment and Nacon are looking to make the most of the investment, then both companies will need to tread carefully and not implement anything that can be called out as pay-to-win.
In addition to staying far from the problems of Shadow of War, one of the main aspects of the Middle-earth series' gameplay could also be teaching for Daedalic Entertainment. This would specifically be the stealth mechanics that made Shadow of Mordor and its successor so fun to play. Considering how physically weak the protagonist Gollum is often shown to be, stealth will be the key to diving into the character's brutality in Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
Stealth is going to have to stand as the forefront of gameplay with the smaller size of Gollum, as opposed to Shadow of War's protagonist Talion. However, instead of using stealth as the introduction into combat, or clearing out entire camps of orcs, it needs to take the mechanic to a new level by fusing Gollum's violence with the threat others impress on him.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.