One does not simply tap their way into Mordor
Electronic Arts is working on a newLord of the Ringsgame, in mobile form. EA is partnering with Middle-earth Enterprises to develop a free-to-play mobile title calledThe Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.
The free-to-play mobile RPG will sound a little familiar if you’ve played these kinds of games before. According to today’sannouncement, it will have turn-based combat, a collection system of some kind, and characters fromThe Lord of the RingsandThe Hobbit. Mobile players will use their party to fight battles in the world ofLOTR.
The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earthis going into limited regional beta this summer. The announcement notes thatHeroes of Middle-earthwill require a persistent internet connection, and will have in-game purchases, including “random items.”
One in-game purchase to rule them all
While Warner Bros. Games has been steering theLord of the Ringsvideo game ventures lately, Electronic Arts is no stranger to the franchise. The PlayStation 2 eraThe Two TowersandReturn of the Kingbrawlers were published by EA. Electronic Arts also published the RPG,The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, and theBattle for Middle-earthRTS series.
In terms of mobile ventures though, this is something new.Heroes of Middle-earthis in development at Capital Games, the EA branch currently runningStar Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. While the announcement advertises storytelling, cinematic animations, and high-fidelity graphics, concerns about monetization and content structure also seem pretty valid.
ALord of the Ringsmobile game that sounds a bit likeFate/Grand OrderorFire Emblem Heroesmight not be everybody’s cup of tea. We’ll see howThe Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earthshapes out when the mobile game enters a limited beta later this year.
