The last we heard from The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, it was due to be released at some point this year. This is no longer the case. Developer Daedalic Entertainment has revealed the game has been delayed and will now release in 2022. The good news is they’ve joined forces with Nacon for publishing and distribution duties.
The reason for the delay is unknown, although the developer did state they had teamed up with Nacon to “ensure that the game will meet the expectations of fans of The Lord of the Rings and fully leverage the power of the new generation of consoles.” The title will be heading solely to the latest generation of consoles—PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch—as well as PC.
Nacon, previously known as Big Ben Interactive, handles publishing duties for nine development studios. They’re best known for AA titles like Handball, Blood Bowl, Tennis World Tour, Tour de France, WRC, Warhammer Chaosbane, and TT Isle of Man. Their upcoming games include Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, and Steelrising.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a narrative-driven action-adventure title where Gollum follows his obsession to find the One Ring. Based on Tolkein’s books rather than the movie adaptations, the developer has a lot more freedom with Gollum’s appearance. Players will be able to tell he was a hobbit before his corruption by the ring, and will have to deal with his split personality. Will players choose to side with the darker Gollum or with the more reasonable Sméagol? Those decisions will change the course of the story.
The game is due to be “the first in a series of games.” The developer has already stated they have “more storytelling possibilities than the movies ever had” thanks to using the books, giving plenty of scope for more games in the franchise if this one proves to be successful.
