Amazon Cancels Long-Awaited ‘Lord of the Rings’ MMO Project After Years of Development

Amazon Game Studios has officially canceled its anticipated ‘Lord of the Rings’ MMO project, which had been in development for several years.

Initially announced in 2023, the game was being created in collaboration with Embracer Group’s Middle-earth Enterprises. It was designed to be a vast online multiplayer experience set in Tolkien’s iconic universe. However, according to Eurogamer, the project has been terminated before it could reach release.

This cancellation is thought to be linked to significant layoffs at Amazon in October, during which the company eliminated over 14,000 corporate positions. Around that time, internal communications indicated that Amazon was scaling back its efforts on large AAA and MMO game development.

Jeff Gattis, head of Amazon Game Studios, addressed inquiries regarding the situation. He stated: “Our creative team continues to explore a compelling new game experience that does justice to Tolkien’s world; we are working closely with Middle-earth and remain excited about the IP.”

Earlier internal communications reported by Bloomberg also highlighted a strategic shift. The memo indicated that Amazon was reducing its emphasis on large-scale online games.

It noted: “While we’re proud of our successes in first-party AAA game development and publishing, we have made the difficult decision to halt a significant amount of our first-party AAA game development work – specifically around MMOs – within Amazon Game Studios, including making significant role reductions in our studios in Irvine and San Diego, as well as our central publishing team.”

Reports from employees affected by the layoffs have emerged as well. One gameplay engineer shared in a now-deleted LinkedIn post that they were part of the team working on the early version of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ MMO before it was impacted by the cuts.

This isn’t the first time Amazon has scrapped a major game project. The company previously halted development on another ‘Lord of the Rings’ MMO in 2021, which had begun production in 2019. That earlier iteration ended due to complications involving licensing and partnerships with other companies.

Amazon Game Studios has also canceled several other projects over the years, including the multiplayer shooter Crucible, which was shut down shortly after its launch in 2020, and the multiplayer brawler Breakaway, which was canceled in 2018 before it could be released.

More recently, Amazon’s online RPG New World has faced uncertainty, with reports suggesting it may be approaching the end of its lifecycle by early 2027. These developments have raised ongoing questions about the studio’s long-term direction in the gaming industry.

Despite these cancellations, Amazon claims it is still pursuing new ideas. The company continues to explore future projects, including games based on major intellectual properties like ‘The Lord of the Rings’, although the MMO project itself is no longer in development.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!