If a major new Lord of the Rings game is something that'd get you excited, then you might want to keep an eye out on the gaming news cycle in the coming weeks. According to outlet Insider Gaming, a new third-person LOTR game "is in development and has been for some time" - and if you're wondering about the game's scale, it's set to "compete with Hogwarts Legacy".
We're going to assume that final quote means this project will be AAA in nature, rather than some of the smaller Lord of the Rings games we've seen come to Xbox as of late. The report says that "sources close to the game" say it's being at least partially funded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), with publisher Embracer Group and various development studios also said to be involved.
"As far as what the game will be, sources didn’t want to say too much. What was said, however, is that the game will be a third-person action game that is designed, in a way, to “compete with Hogwarts Legacy."
We could find out if this report is true fairly quickly, going by what's been said here. Insider Gaming comments that this LOTR project "is said to be made official “soon” and could happen as early as next week", and that "the deal [to make this game] has been in the works since last year".
As is always the case with these sorts of reports, we try and warn folks that a pinch of salt is always worth having on-hand when reading them - plans constantly change and we may never see anything official on this project. For now, Insider Gaming has reached out to Embracer Group for comment, who responded: "a general rule, we do not comment on rumors or speculation".