At the Summer Game Fest showcase, Free Range Games released a brief gameplay trailer for the next Lord of the Rings video game. The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will whisk players to the Fourth Age of Middle-earth for a brand-new survival crafting experience. It seems to be like Deep Rock Galactic set in Tolkien's world and could be a lot of fun. However, it is also coming at a time when the Lord of the Rings fanbase may have lost some faith in the IP.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will be the second Lord of the Rings game to launch in 2023, and it needs to exceed expectations. The franchise is fresh off the incredibly disappointing TheLord of the Rings: Gollum and the controversial The Rings of Power. While fans want to experience Middle-earth in all its glory, the current franchise trajectory does not seem to be delivering on that potential. That may put Return to Moria in a very difficult position, and its fate could have already been decided.
Lord of the Rings is in a Bit of a Tough Spot
After the success of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, fans were very excited to see where Middle-earth video games would go. While The Hobbit series did not live up to The Lord of the Rings, it still felt like the franchise was in a pretty healthy place. However, things seem to have quickly fallen apart after the release of Middle-earth: Shadow of War, and it has not really recovered since.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War was heavily criticized for its microtransaction model and its lackluster story, and it would take six years before another major Lord of the Rings video game hit store shelves. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was critically panned upon release as a boring, buggy mess. The developers ended up releasing an apology for the game's state shortly after release, but Lord of the Rings fans had already moved on.
Lord of the Rings has not only struggled in the video game space recently, but it has also struggled to gain an audience for its first live-action show TheRings of Power. What was supposed to be this expansive exploration of Middle-earth's Second Age ended up being pretty mediocre. Only 37 percent of United States viewers actually finished season one, and only 45 percent of international viewers made it to the end. It had a strong debut, but most people seemed to have quickly lost interest as it progressed.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is the franchise's chance to prove itself once again. The Hobbit was disappointing, the Lord of the Rings video games have been arguably disappointing, and The Rings of Power failed to make an impact. There is a lot stacked up against Return to Moria, and if it does not succeed then it could be the final nail in the coffin. While Lord of the Rings games will likely continue to release, they may be fewer and far between. That puts a lot of pressure on Return to Moria to deliver, and it may be impossible to match those expectations.
Players have only gotten a brief glimpse at The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, and a concrete release date has not been revealed yet. There is a chance it gets delayed due to TheLord of the Rings: Gollum's reception, but fans will just have to wait and see. More gameplay will likely be released as the release date nears, and it is hopefully able to succeed where its predecessors have failed.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria will be available in 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S
