Embracer Group, the holding company that currently owns the rights to Lord of the Rings in the gaming world, has announced that it’s currently prototyping several games set in Middle-earth.
In its latest financial report, which covers the first quarter of 2024 (from April to June), Embracer says that it’s “actively testing and prototyping multiple new game concepts” that take place “within the Middle-earth world”.
Embracer goes on to say that these projects will explore “a wide range of immersive and authentic gameplay” and that they’ll take “an honest and tactical approach to world-building and authentic storytelling”.
If any of these prototypes come to fruition, then more Lord of the Rings games could be on the way. With games like the upcoming Tales of the Shire on the way, as well as the recently-revealed Steam and Xbox release of Return to Moria, Lord of the Rings has a pretty stacked plate in the gaming world.
Of course, Embracer doesn’t go into detail regarding any of these prototypes, nor does it name the studios developing them. Since the projects are prototypes, it’s entirely possible none of them will ever see the light of day, but hey, at least more Lord of the Rings games could be coming!
Embracer Group’s sales are down overall
It’s been a bit of a punishing quarter for Embracer on the whole. According to the financial report, the company’s net sales are down 24%, with PC and console games being the hardest-hit outside of the Entertainment and Services category.
CEO Lars Wingefors puts this down to “a lower release activity” for the quarter, pointing to upcoming releases like Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, Satisfactory, and more content for Remnant 2 as chances for the company to turn its fortunes around.
The report also notes that Embracer currently has 127 projects in active development, as opposed to last year’s 141, so it looks like 14 projects have been canceled within the last year or so.
Embracer’s total headcount has also dropped from 12,069 last year to 10,844 this year, showing the brutal results of the company’s restructuring program (which is supposed to have concluded, although the project cancellations tell a different story).
If you’re interested, you can read Embracer’s full interim financial report here. Stay tuned for more on this and all other things Embracer Group-related.
