Highlights

  • Tales of the Shire is a single-player Hobbit life simulator game set in the peaceful time before The Hobbit, perfect for fans of Middle-earth.
  • Explore potential DLCs for Tales of the Shire, including trading in Erebor, visiting Elvish communities, and a fun Mordor Halloween DLC.
  • If successful, Tales of the Shire could lead to sequels with other species as protagonists, offering endless possibilities for Lord of the Rings fans.

Developer Weta Workshop is currently at work producing the upcoming Hobbit life simulator Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game. Set in the world of the Lord of the Rings books, players will be able to live the ideal life of a Hobbit. This includes completing tasks such as farming, fishing, and decorating Hobbit-holes in the emerging Hobbiton village of Bywater. While Tales of the Shire is expected to be released sometime in 2024, there’s already potential for the game to explore other parts of Middle-earth with future DLCs.

Hobbits at a festival in Tales of the Shire
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The Setting of Tales of the Shire

It’s unknown when Tales of the Shire exactly takes place in the Lord of the Rings timeline, but Weta Workshop did tease that players might encounter some iconic characters in the game. In Tales of the Shire’s official announcement trailer, a Hobbit encounters what appears to be Gandalf the Grey, a frequent visitor of Hobbiton in the books. Presumably, Gandalf is the narrator of the trailer as well. Given Gandalf the Grey’s appearance in the game, Tales of the Shire could be set anytime before the end of the Fellowship of the Ring.

With the exception of Smaug’s attack on Erebor in The Hobbit, this was a time of relative peace for all of Middle-earth. This peacetime could potentially allow Weta Workshop to expand Tales of the Shire into other regions of Middle-earth. No combat of any kind is expected to be featured in Tales of the Shire.

Despite multiple Hobbits being featured in Tales of the Shire 's promotional material, Tales of the Shire is a single-player Hobbit life simulator game expected to be released sometime in 2024.

Potential Tales of the Shire DLCs

If Tales of the Shire is set during the peacetime before The Hobbit, one potential DLC could have the player venture to Erebor, the Dwarf kingdom underneath the Lonely Mountain that later gets taken by Smaug. The player could venture there to trade produce for valuable jewels and metals for decor crafting. They could even help mine these resources through Erebor’s intricate mining systems. Along the way, the player could possibly trade with the neighboring human cities of Dale and Lake-town. This could be a way for players to get rare decorative bells and toys, commodities that Dale is famous for. In terms of Lake-town, this could be a way to trade and find rare kinds of fish.

No matter if Tales of the Shire is set before or after The Hobbit, the player could also visit nearby Elvish communities through DLC. Players can travel to the Mirkwood Woodland Realm of the Wood Elves to trade for rare wooden decorations and forest-based food. The player could speak with some Elves and learn to forage for rare mushrooms or perhaps scarce fish found in the forest’s rivers. Similarly, the player could travel to Rivendell and visit Elrond or even a young Aragorn. Here players could trade for rare Elvish items to decorate their Hobbit-hole with or learn to bake some Lembas bread.

A Mordor Halloween DLC

While Tales of the Shire is expected to be a peaceful game, Weta Workshop could still have some fun in making a Mordor-themed DLC. Players could possibly disguise themselves as Orcs and travel to Mordor to trade for some Mordor-themed decorations. Weta Workshop could also organize a Mordor-themed Halloween celebration in Bywater for players to get Orcish clothes or decor. If Weta Workshop wants to really go into a Mordor DLC, perhaps the DLC could have gamers play as an Orc or a Nazgul to build up a Mordor base.

Potential Tales of the Shire Sequels and Cameos

If Tales of the Shire is successful enough, Weta Workshop could make sequels with other species as the protagonists. For instance, a potential sequel could be called Tales of the Dwarves and have people play and live as Dwarves in a gigantic mine city similar to The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. Likewise, another sequel could be Tales of the Elves where people play as Elves in Rivendell or one of the other Elvish kingdoms. There could even be a Tales of Mordor game, though that one may not be as tranquil as the previously mentioned games.

Throughout these numerous potential DLCs and sequels, several fan-favorite Lord of the Rings characters could appear. In the base Tales of the Shire game, if it’s set after The Hobbit, Bilbo could help Bywater flourish and connect with neighboring communities. If an Erebor or Mirkwood DLC is made, players could encounter the Dwarf King Dain or Legolas. Furthermore, if a Mordor DLC is made, players could meet the Mouth of Sauron or the Witch-king of Angmar. There’s endless potential with Tales of the Shire and beyond in the world of the Lord of the Rings.